According to people familiar with the evolving political scenario in Maharashtra, the appointment of Ajit Pawar to the Maharashtra government has shook up both chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. The top BJP leadership in Delhi carefully followed the NCP defection, and according to sources, neither Shinde nor Fadnavis were aware of the change. Before the start of the state legislature’s monsoon session, the two leaders traveled to Delhi to approve the extension of the Maharashtra Cabinet. They were informed that Ajit Pawar and eight other people would be entering the Cabinet instead.
The Shinde list, which included some of the 40 MLAs who had helped him break the Shiv Sena in a midnight coup, had to be re-filed. Sujit Mahajan, a political analyst, claims that although the NCP’s division is comparable to the Shiv Sena’s, it is distinct. “Sharad Pawar is a street fighter, not Uddhav Thackeray. He has already begun his Maharashtra trip, and it won’t be long until the NCP experiences a revival. Sharad Pawar would make sure the NCP rises once again, despite Ajit Pawar’s victory just now, according to Mahajan.
Shinde and Fadnavis are both upset. Ajit Pawar is a forceful and combative leader. He may remove Shinde and Fadnavis from their posts, which they are both aware of. Ajit Pawar desires the position of chief minister. This is common knowledge. If his MLAs start siding with Uddhav Thackeray again, Shinde stands to lose a lot, he continues.
Day 3 of the Sharad Pawar vs. Ajit Pawar faction conflict was marked by intense drama in several districts of Maharashtra. In various areas of Maharashtra, NCP party members who were in favor of dissident leader and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar walked to the streets to lay claim to the party’s offices, which are now under the leadership of Sharad Pawar, the NCP’s founder. As members of both groups fought for control of the NCP’s current office in Nasik, street brawls broke out between them. The Ajit Pawar supporters in Mumbai were unable to enter the party headquarters because it was closed.
Those who have switched their allegiances from Sharad Pawar to Prime Minister Narendra Modi have criticized the NCP patriarch for aiding former chief minister and Shiv Sena faction leader Uddhav Thackeray in reviving the Shiv Sena. They have been led by Praful Patel, a close aide of Sharad Pawar who was recently appointed by the latter as the working president of the NCP. The patriarch has released a statement forbidding the use of his images by the rebels and those who support them. The NCP employees’ reactions to the uprising are conflicted. Even though they claimed Ajit Pawar to be their leader, many of the party members who were gathered outside the NCP headquarters in South Mumbai’s Ballard Estate were upset with him.
“Ajit Dada is my leader, but I disagree with the way he divided the NCP to join the BJP. Ajit Dada has betrayed Pawar Saheb, claims Mumbai-based party member Sameer Rane. “Like Shinde Saheb, Ajit Dada has become caught up in the BJP’s deception. Like Shinde Saheb, he will be a BJP puppet, said Rane.
Giridhar Gadgil, a political analyst based in Pune, agrees with Mahajan that Sharad Pawar would not be intimidated by the uprising. “Public support poured in and resulted in seats when the video of Sharad Pawar speaking at a public event in the rain during the 2019 Assembly elections went viral. In contrast to Thackeray, Pawar Saheb is a man of action and won’t spend time making remarks, said Gadgil.
Gadgil notes that the BJP’s stance is not as favorable as it was in 2019. West Bengal is still beyond their grasp. Since Nitish Kumar took office in Bihar, the political climate has altered. They have lost a state in Karnataka. The Maha Vikas Aghadi was weakening their support base in Maharashtra and is a powerful combination. The NCP’s weakest link was Ajit Pawar. The BJP believes that by dismantling the NCP, the MVA would crumble, said Gadgil.
According to the BJP’s own polling, winning at least 50 to 60 seats in the Lok Sabha elections would be challenging. Therefore, they are employing central authorities to launch lawsuits against the opposition and topple powerful regional parties and administrations. Another political expert predicts that the BJP’s conduct in Maharashtra would have far-reaching repercussions for them.
However, there are audible grumblings of discontentment among the Shinde-led wing of the NCP, thus the division within the party may work to Thackeray’s Sena’s favor. Many of the MLAs who backed the chief minister had hoped to be appointed to government positions or to lead one of the many government committees.
As he and 16 other MLAs are being subjected to disqualification processes, Shinde has been delaying these judgments. The Supreme Court has ordered Rahul Narvekar, the Speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, to rule on Thackeray’s disqualification suit, but Shinde’s “wait and watch” strategy has caused unrest among his camp.
The fact that Ajit Dada has greater negotiating power means that we don’t believe any of us will be included in the Cabinet. He’ll see to it that his requests are honored. We are now in a “neither here nor there” scenario, said an MLA who is in favor of Shinde.
In the meanwhile, Raj Thackeray, the leader of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, issued a warning that Sharad Pawar must personally organize the dissolution of the NCP. “All of his close associates are over there. There is a strong evidence that Sharad Pawar may be using this as a political ruse, Raj Thackeray informed the reporters. The cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray have been openly urged by MNS party members to put aside their differences and work together to oppose the BJP’s electoral maneuvers.
In Maharashtra, the BJP camp as silent as a tomb. “There is no space for the 105 MLAs of the Maharashtra BJP. To make room for Ajit Pawar, we have been forced out the door, said a top BJP official.
