- The Swearing In
Finally, nearly two weeks after the Maharashtra Assembly results the state swore in Devendra Fadnavis as the new Chief Minister. The moment was not without its backstory. The outgoing Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was reluctant to give up his seat and kept the suspense on till the last minute as to whether he would accept the downgrade to deputy chief ministership. There was an interesting byplay between the three leaders at the press conference before the swearing in. Sharing the dais with Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, the Shiv Sena leader was asked whether he would be taking oath the next day. In response, Eknath Shinde stated that he would decide by the evening and let the media know. To which Ajit Pawar quickly replied that regardless of what Shinde decided, he (i.e. Ajit Pawar) would be taking oath the next evening. To which Shinde shot back and commented, “Dada ka anubhav hai, shapath shaam ko bhi lene ka aur subah koh bhi (Ajit Pawar has the experience of taking oath in the evening as well as in the morning).” Shinde’s reference was to the early morning swearing of five years ago when Ajit Pawar broke the NCP to support Fadnavis as CM.
- Fault lines within the I.N.D.I.A bloc
The I.N.D.I.A bloc is divided as to how best to corner the government. While the Congress party’s focus is on Adani, the other allies want to highlight other issues. For instance, the Samajwadi Party is keen to raise the Sambhal violence. In fact, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi did make a trip to Ghazipur to try and visit the area but was prevented from doing so as Section 163 of the BNSS is imposed in the area, preventing the entry of outsiders. This is something that the Congress was all too aware of as a few days ago a delegation of Samajwadi Party leaders were stopped from visiting the area. However, it is competitive politics at play. When asked about Rahul’s visit, Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav’s comments were most revealing for he stated quite caustically that “Parliament mein utha nahin rahen hain, wahan ja rahen hain. Police kissi ko jaane nahin degi, log formality kar rahen hai (the Congress leaders are not raising the issue in Parliament but going to Sambhal instead. It’s just a formality as the police won’t let them go).” In fact, both the SP and the TMC were missing from the joint opposition protest in parliament asking for a JPC on the allegations of bribery and fraud against the Adani group. The Congress may need to rethink its strategy if it wants to keep the I.N.D.I.A bloc united.
- The New Pawar Saheb
There is one clear message from the Maharashtra polls and that is the rise of both Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar as to the real legatees of the Shiv Sena and the NCP. While Eknath Shinde lost some of his sheen over the tussle for chief ministership, Ajit Pawar has gained since. He won 41 of the 59 seats he contested (compare this with his track record in the recent Lok Sabha where he could win only one of the four he had fought). From his role as an administrator and a backroom strategist in Sharad Pawar’s NCP, the junior Pawar has now firmly come into his own. The confidence was visible when he interacted with the media in the capital at a lunch hosted by his colleague and Rajya Sabha MP Praful Patel. This was clearly Ajit Pawar’s coming out party. Those who were used to seeing Sharad Pawar at Praful Patel’s annual lunch now met the new Mr Pawar. In fact, not just Ajit but also his wife Sunetra (who is now a Rajya Sabha MP) and son Parth, who met the media.
For those who missed interviewing Ajit Pawar on the campaign trail, the interaction revealed a forthright no-nonsense politician who took uncomfortable questions head on—whether it was about the Dharavi project, finding the requisite finances for the Ladki Bahin Yojana—or his equation with Sharad Pawar. The early morning swearing-in still evoked many a chuckle from all those present as Ajit Pawar reiterated that it was only with his uncle’s blessing that he reached out to the BJP. Apparently, Sharad Pawar had a particularly acrimonious meeting with Mallikarjun Kharge over government formation (for the MVA alliance) where the Congress insisted on the Speaker’s post. Walking out of the meeting he told his nephew to reach out to the BJP. The catch was that Ajit Pawar moved fast and met up with Devendra Fadnavis that night itself. The rest as we know is history with the next day’s headlines surprising even Sharad Pawar.
Looking ahead, Ajit also spoke about the NCP’s plans to contest the Delhi polls in a bid to regain the NCP’s national stature. The overall message was clear: there is a new Pawar Saheb in town.