After the split in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), speculations are rife about Sharad Pawar’s new political role. There is speculation that he may go with the BJP. But 82-year-old Sharad Pawar has set out on a campaign to revive the NCP, dismissing these speculations outright. Pawar will now bet on grandson Rohit Pawar instead of nephew Ajit Pawar. There are clear indications of this in the first self-respect meeting of NCP (Sharad faction) held in Beed.
Rohit Pawar dominated the Swabhiman Sabha organized by NCP founder Sharad Pawar in Beed. Even NCP state president Jayant Patil did not get a chance to make a speech. On the demand of the people present in the public meeting, Rohit Pawar gave a speech in place of Jayant Patil and got a lot of applause.
Senior NCP leader and former minister Jitendra Awhad also said in his speech from the stage that the son may go away from his father, but the relation between grandfather and grandson is different, he cannot go away from them. It has become clear from Awhad’s statement that Rohit Pawar will now get the place of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar who is vacant in the party. A senior NCP leader told that Ajit Pawar has a craze among voters in the age group of 30 to 60 years in the state while Sharad Pawar through Rohit Pawar will reach out to voters in the age group of 18 to 35 years.
Pawar had formed NCP on the strength of youth
When Sharad Pawar founded the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on June 10, 1999, on the issue of Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin, the youth leadership went ahead with Ajit Pawar, Jayant Patil, RR Patil, Dilip Valse Patil etc. Not only this, bypassing the senior leaders, he also made these youth ministers when the Congress-NCP coalition government was formed. After the split in NCP, Sharad Pawar is once again going to follow the same formula.
Who is Rohit Pawar
For the last three decades, the politics of Maharashtra is dominated by the Pawar family. Rohit Pawar, 37, is the grandson of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar’s elder brother Appasaheb Pawar and son of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s cousin Rajendra Pawar. Rohit has reached the assembly for the first time from the Karjat-Jamkhed seat. He is highly trusted by Sharad Pawar and his daughter MP Supriya Sule. After the split in the party, Rohit is seen with Sharad Pawar like a shadow in times of trouble.
