Maha political crisis: With the political landslide in Maharashtra effected by Ajit Pawar’s exit from the Opposition ranks, and joining the rival Eknath Shinde government on Sunday (July 2), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar’s next move may be ambivalent.
According to sources, Ajit Pawar has the backing of 40 NCP MLAs which is nearly 75 per cent of the total number of legislators the party has in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. Sources further said that six out of the nine party MLCs are extending support to Ajit Pawar’s surprising move. This accounts for over 65 per cent of the MLCs in the Upper House of the state.
Pawar, 82, counted among the senior-most politicians in the current political arena, has been an architect of Opposition unity in Maharashtra for years.
What next for Sharad Pawar?
Last month in June, Pawar had announced his daughter Supriya Sule as the party’s working president, indicating that he is putting in place a succession plan and attempting to look at the future of the party. Weeks before the announcement, Pawar had announced to step down from the post of the NCP chief, however, he withdrew his decision within three days after the party workers protested and urged him to continue on the top post of the party.
His decision to step down came as a shock, however, it was expected that someone like Ajit Pawar or Supriya Sule would be appointed as the party chief. With Ajit expressing publicly that he wanted a rank in the party organisation instead of the post of the Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly, reports emerged about him not being satisfied with NCP chief’s move of deputing his daughter Supriya on the chair of party’s working president.
It would be interesting to see if Sharad Pawar, who is being considered one of the top leaders of the Opposition which is aiming to unite against the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, remains a prominent voice among the many leaders who are thriving to run for the Prime Ministerial race evidently in the next general elections.
Pawar, however, said in his first press conference after the split that he has strengthened the party earlier also when a similar incident took place in the 1980s.
“This is not a new thing. The party I was leading in 1980 had 58 MLAs, later all left and only 6 MLAs left, but I strengthened the numbers and those who left me lost in their constituencies,” he said.
Pawar said that he received calls from the Opposition leaders including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
“I am receiving several calls from a lot of people, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, WB CM Mamata Banerjee and others have called me. I am not worried about whatever happened today,” he said.
Can NCP sustain the blow?
According to sources, most of the NCP MLAs and MLCs have extended support to Ajit Pawar.
Maharashtra minister Uday Samant claimed that the strength of the government has now increased from 170 to 210 seats in the 288-seated Legislative Assembly.
“Ajit Pawar decided to support our alliance. Now our strength has increased from 170 to 210. 40 MLAs of (NCP) are coming,” he said.
Given that NCP has 53 MLAs and 9 MLCs in total, and most of them exiting the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance, of which NCP, Shiv Sena (UBT), and Congress are participants, Sharad Pawar has few MLAs and MLCs left at his disposal to stand his party on.
However, the party workers, who once protested emotionally compelling Sharad Pawar to retreat on his resignation decision, may still be with the party supremo with equal zeal and enthusiasm.
Will Sharad Pawar have the same say in MVA now?
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said that he has had a word with Pawar and he is undeterred by the split in his party and he will start afresh.
Sharad Pawar, the most prominent voice in the MVA, was instrumental in the formation of the alliance in 2019 after BJP-Shiv Sena won with a majority, however, could not form the government due to non-consensus on the chief ministerial face.
Pawar had taken charge and stitched the alliance comprising Shiv Sena (led by Uddhav Thackeray then), Congress, and NCP. Uddhav Thackeray had become the chief minister and Ajit Pawar was sworn in as his deputy.
However, after the fall of the MVA government in June 2022 due to Shinde’s rebellion, Pawar has still managed to hold on to the alliance keeping the flock together.
The question that looms now after the split which has now struck NCP after Shiv Sena in the back-to-back years, is if Pawar would have the same say in the MVA in Maharashtra and in the Opposition alliance considering the national picture.
What Ajit Pawar said after the move?
Ajit, who became the second Deputy Chief Minister of the state after Fadnavis, said that he has all MLAs of the party and they have joined the government as a party.
“We have all the numbers, all MLAs are with me. We are here as a party. We have informed all seniors also. The majority is given importance in a democracy. Our party is 24 years old and young leadership should come forward,” he said.
He announced that they will contest the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections with the BJP.
“We will fight the upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections with them (BJP) and that is why we have taken this decision,” he said.
Both Assembly and Lok Sabha elections are slated to be held in 2024.
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