In Ajit Pawar’s Shock Switch, A Sharad Pawar Question Ahead of 2024

Mumbai:

Ajit Pawar, the nephew of Sharad Pawar, has sided with the BJP again, weeks after his cousin Supriya Sule was named the Nationalist Congress Party’s working president, leaving his uncle Sharad Pawar with a major loss of face. His move could not have come at a worse time for Pawar Senior, who had been trying to project himself as a front-runner for the top post in the united opposition ahead of the 2024 election. It is also a blow for the opposition, which has been hard at work trying to stitch up an alliance.

Ajit Pawar has already taken oath as a Deputy Chief Minister —  alongside Devendra Fadnavis — in the government led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. He is also expected to deliver a chunk of MLAs of the Nationalist Congress Party to the alliance government of the BJP and Eknath Shinde. Sources said he has the support of 40-plus MLAs.

Sharad Pawar, meanwhile, appears to have been caught unawares again, as happened in 2019 when his nephew had taken oath as a deputy of Devendra Fadnavis in the BJP’s aborted attempt to form government after the assembly polls in Maharashtra.

Recalling that time, Mr Pawar wrote in the second part of his memoir ‘Lok Majhe Sangti’: “I was shocked when I got a call on November 23, 2019, around 6.30 am that Ajit and a few NCP MLAs were at Raj Bhavan and Ajit was taking oath with Fadnavis.”

“When I made calls to a few MLAs who were at Raj Bhavan, I got to know that only 10 MLAs have reached there and one of them told me that it is happening because I support this. But this was a plan for the central BJP to fail the plan of MVA (Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi). I called Uddhav Thackeray immediately and told him that whatever Ajit has done is wrong and NCP and I don’t support that. My name was used to take NCP MLAs to Raj Bhavan. I asked him to join me in the press conference at 11 am,” Mr Pawar wrote.

Senior UBT leader, Sanjat Raut, meanwhile, tweeted that he has spoken to Sharad Pawar.

“Some people have taken up the task of cleaning up Maharashtra politics. Let them have their way. I just had a talk with Mr. Sharad Pawar. He said “I am strong. We have the support of the people. We will rebuild everything again with Uddhav Thackeray.” Yes, people will not tolerate this game for long,” read a rough translation of his tweet.

Ajit Pawar had quit the post of the leader of the opposition two days ago, indicating that he would like to play a bigger role in the party. He had also sent his best wishes to his cousin, Supriya Sule.

Earlier this week, amid speculation that he would switch side, he had met Union Home Minister and the BJP’s chief strategist Amit Shah along with Eknath Shinde. There is a buzz that his loyalists will be accommodated in an expanded cabinet.