Ajit Pawar game: Was Sharad Pawar really in the dark?
The reason behind the move was ascribed to him being meted poor treatment within the NCP, with Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde saying the same after the swearing-in yesterday.
Ajit Pawar’s about-turn has turned the politics of Maharashtra and the country since the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has been central in the Opposition build-up for Lok Sabha 2024. The 63-year-old NCP leader, once considered NCP patriarch Sharad Pawar’s political heir, has now set off on his own political path.
Ajit Pawar’s switching sides did not come as a surprise to many as it was expected for some time now but making his way straight to Raj Bhavan as just an MLA and stepping out as Deputy Chief Minister on a Sunday afternoon with no political buzz or resort drama startled many.
The reason behind the move was ascribed to him being meted poor treatment within the NCP, with Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde saying the same after the swearing-in yesterday.
Discussion within political circles was on the lines of saying ‘Bhanja, Sharad Pawar ko mama bana gaya’ meaning Ajit ditched uncle Pawar Sr, the one who is credited with shaping the nephew’s political career over the years. But is it really so, or is it a new game of tactics put to play chalked out by Sharad Pawar?
With his longevity of over 60 years in politics, the 84-year-old Sharad Pawar, credited as an astute political mind in the country, it is assumed by many that is a ploy of his to act like a dormant player on camera but be the kinetic force inside.
Speculation is rife that with an eye on the 2024 polls, Sharad Pawar has come to an understanding with the BJP top brass, which is eager for a third term.
The NCP patron may have sent 2019 dawn drama star Ajit to join the ruling alliance while he defines his role staying in the Opposition. A honest attempt to win even if it is heads or tails.
With Sharad Pawar key in stitching the 2024 Opposition alliance, analysts say he can help the BJP by sowing disaffection among the non-BJP alliance forming with the Congress in it.
The Pawar camp coup would also shield his party and party leaders facing corruption charges for a long time, including Ajit Pawar, Chhagan Bhujbal and Praful Patel, Pawar Senior’s former right-hand.
The scams made their way back into the headlines after Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacked the NCP leaders, for what he called, a Rs 70,000 crore corruption case at a rally in Bhopal.
The sequence of Sunday’s events begin with a meeting at Devgiri, Ajit Pawar’s official residence in Mumbai, which had Sharad Pawar’s daughter and NCP working president Supriya Sule in it, reports said Sule left the meeting abruptly.
Later responding to a question about the meeting, Pawar Senior, who was in his Pune residence, said he had no information regarding it, saying must have been a usual meeting convened by Ajit as the Leader of Opposition.
While reports claimed, Ajit Pawar had already resigned from the Opposition post on Friday, it is perplexing for most to understand how a micro-managing boss like Pawar missed that development.
Critics also pointed to Sharad Pawar’s body language after the oath-taking ceremony. He was captured on camera unworried nor did he make any direct attack on the nephew’s move.
Ajit Pawar had pulled a similar stunt some 3.5 years back on November 23, 2019, after Uddhav Thackeray snapped ties with the BJP. Ajit Pawar was sworn in Deputy CM in the hush of the morning hours with 35 MLAs under Fadnavis as CM, a government that lasted for less than 80 hours.
Back then, it was seen as a coup of Sharad Pawar, who was buying time to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi, comprising the Shiv Sena (then headed by Uddhav Thackeray), the NCP, and the Congress, just to form the alliance government with Thackeray as Chief Minister.
After repeated denials for years, last week, Sharad Pawar had admitted to the googly he had thrown in 2019. A senior NCP leader said with the 2024 elections on their head, the same pattern is being followed, the acceptance for which would come later from the Baramati strongman depending on which way the ball turns.
BJP says it stands for credibility of promises under PM Modi, Congress for crisis
Trivedi mockingly questioned whether Kharge was truthful in his statements made the previous day, implying that his critiques of the BJP were a reaction driven by pressure to reconcile his earlier remarks.
The BJP said on Saturday that it stood for the credibility of promises made under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, while labeling the Congress party as one suffering from a crisis of credibility, intensifying their ongoing rhetorical conflict over unfulfilled electoral pledges.
BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said that the ruling party has expanded its welfare initiatives, including health insurance, free food grains, and cash transfers to farmers, emphasising a strategy focused on wealth creation followed by equitable distribution as the Indian economy has grown over the last decade.
“We believe in the creation of wealth and its distribution. The Congress fosters corruption and depletes wealth,” he stated, referencing numerous unfulfilled promises made by Congress-led governments across various states.
Following Mallikarjun Kharge’s remark labeling “Modi ki guarantee” as a cruel joke after Modi seized Kharge’s guidance on budgetary constraints in state poll announcements, the BJP launched new accusations.
Trivedi mockingly questioned whether Kharge was truthful in his statements made the previous day, implying that his critiques of the BJP were a reaction driven by pressure to reconcile his earlier remarks.
Trivedi highlighted several accomplishments of the Modi government, including the construction of the Ram temple, the abrogation of Article 370, the building of over 14 crore homes for the impoverished, the establishment of more than 51 crore Jan Dhan accounts, and a firm stance against terrorism from Pakistan, to demonstrate the government’s fulfillment of its commitments.
He noted that Kharge, having witnessed notable leaders like PV Narasimha Rao and Pranab Mukherjee manage economic challenges effectively, is now observing the Congress party struggling under the influence of urban Naxals due to Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.
Addressing Kharge’s criticisms on various issues, Trivedi pointed to data from the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) indicating a rise in account holders from 11 crore to 25 crore over the past decade.
He also referenced significant infrastructure projects, such as the construction of homes for the poor, 74 new airports, and an impressive pace of 37 kilometers of road built per day, claiming that these initiatives have created substantial employment opportunities.
“India is now ranked third in auto manufacturing and second in mobile phone manufacturing; if anyone is unable to recognize the country’s progress, there is a profound deficiency in their perspective,” asserted the BJP spokesperson.
Maharashtra elections: Congress says Mahayuti understands its exit is certain
Congress leader Sachin Pilot, also an observer of the Congress party for the Maharashtra elections, said that the ruling Mahayuti alliance is aware that its exit is imminent.
The Congress on Wednesday asserted the ruling Mahayuti government in Maharashtra has understood that its exit is certain as the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance is strong and that all its candidates are in a strong position for the upcoming Assembly elections in the state.
Congress leader Sachin Pilot, also an observer of the Congress party for the Maharashtra elections, said that the ruling Mahayuti alliance is aware that its exit is imminent.
The Congress leader stated that the party is fully prepared and that its ally parties in Maharashtra are strong. He mentioned that the seat-sharing negotiations occurred in a positive atmosphere and that the ruling party has recognized that their exit is inevitable.
“All the candidates of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) are in a strong position. The people here have decided to support Congress and its allies in the upcoming Assembly elections,” he said.
He also noted that the alliance’s performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections was impressive. “Wherever Congress contested, our candidates won 80 percent of the seats. We expect this trend to continue,” he added.
Pilot acknowledged that there have been some differences among party members regarding specific seats but assured that those issues would be resolved in the next 2-3 days, ensuring there would be only one candidate from the MVA for each seat.
Earlier in the day, Ramesh Chennithala, Congress in charge of Maharashtra, slammed the BJP, claiming that the party is undermining its alliances in the state.
“The BJP is dismantling its alliances. They are forcefully converting alliance partner candidates into their own party candidates. The people will respond to this,” he stated while speaking to reporters.
Earlier on October 26, Chennithala alleged that crores of rupees have been reportedly offered to two of its MLAs to join Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction, ahead of state Assembly elections.
Chennithala made those allegations while speaking to reporters in the national capital. He also questioned the Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Voting for all 288 constituencies for the Maharashtra Assembly elections are set for November 20 and counting on November 23. In the 2019 Assembly elections, the BJP won 105 seats, the Shiv Sena 56, and the Congress 44. In 2014, the BJP secured 122 seats, the Shiv Sena 63, and the Congress 42.
Asserting that Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was not upset with the Maharashtra unit, NCP (SP) leader Anil Deshmukh on Saturday accused the Mahayuti of spreading fake news over the issue of seat-sharing in the state.
Deshmukh mentioned that meetings between leaders of Congress in Maharashtra, including Balasaheb Thorat, Nana Patole, and Vijay Wadettiwar, and representatives of NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT), went well.
“Rahul Gandhi is not upset. Leaders like Balasaheb Thorat, Nana Patole and Vijay Wadettiwar all had meetings with leaders of NCP-SCP and Shiv Sena (UBT). We had taken the decision regarding seat sharing based on merit,” the NCP(SP) leader said.
He further clarified that the decision on seat sharing was made based on merit, countering the false information being spread by Opposition parties. Deshmukh also dispelled the notion that Rahul Gandhi was upset with the state leaders.
“Opposition parties are spreading false information. It is not true that Rahul Gandhi is upset with leaders in the State,” he said.
Furthermore, in preparation for the upcoming Assembly polls in Maharashtra, Congress released its second list of 23 candidates on Saturday.
The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has concluded talks on sharing seats in 255 constituencies, with each party planning to contest 85 Assembly constituencies, as informed by Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole.
On the same day, the BJP released a list of 40 star campaigners, including prominent party leaders such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party chief Jagat Prakash Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The other leaders from the saffron party — Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Assam Chief Minister Hemant Biswa Sarma, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav, Smriti Irani, Piyush Goyal, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Pramod Sawant were in the list.
The list also includes names of prominent leaders from the State — Maharashtra deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, Vinod Tawde, Narayan Rane, Pankaja Munde, Chandrakant (Dada) Patil, Girish Mahajan, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, Ashish Shelar, Udayan Raje Bhonsle, Raosaheb Danve Patil, Ashok Chavan, Sudhir Mugantiwar, Navneet Rana, among others.
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