Sharad Pawar’s faction dominated Lok Sabha elections with eight wins, while Ajit managed one, but dynamics have shifted.
New Delhi: A year after Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar fractured the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), established by his uncle Sharad Pawar, into two factions, the Maharashtra Assembly Election results have revealed who now holds the reins of the ‘real NCP.’
The rivalry between the two Pawars was evident in the recent Lok Sabha elections, where the Sharad Pawar faction secured eight out of ten seats, while Ajit Pawar’s camp managed only one. However, the dynamics have drastically shifted since then.
According to the Election Commission of India, Ajit Pawar’s faction won 40 out of 59 contested seats in the assembly elections, achieving a winning strike rate of over 60%. In contrast, Sharad Pawar’s faction managed to win only 11 out of 87 contested seats, with a strike rate below 13%. Ajit Pawar also cemented his dominance by winning his eighth consecutive victory in Baramati, defeating his nephew Yugendra Pawar. Despite predictions of a tight contest and claims of a sympathy wave for Sharad Pawar, the results have given a clear mandate in favor of Ajit Pawar.
Following Ajit Pawar’s split from the NCP and his faction’s poor performance in the Lok Sabha elections, many political analysts labeled him the weakest link in the Mahayuti alliance. Critics within the Sharad Pawar faction accused him of betraying the family. In the Mahayuti alliance’s seat-sharing formula, Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction was allotted 59 seats, significantly fewer than the 81 given to Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and the 148 contested by the BJP. However, Ajit Pawar’s impressive strike rate has demonstrated strong voter support for his leadership.
Sharad Pawar, at 84, recently hinted at retiring from active politics after his Rajya Sabha term ends in 2026. If he adheres to this plan, he risks concluding his illustrious political career on a low note, leaving behind one of the weakest tallies under his leadership. An NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) leader, speaking to The Sunday Guardian on the condition of anonymity, said, “We are still analyzing the results. We will now examine them deeply.
But Sharad Pawar will continue to be our leader, and we will work to strengthen our organization.”
When asked if Ajit Pawar’s faction is now the real boss of the NCP, the leader firmly responded, “Our faction got a new symbol just weeks ago, which caused confusion among voters. Whatever the results, Sharad Pawar will remain our leader.”
These elections were crucial for both NCP factions. The loss for Sharad Pawar’s faction is particularly painful, as it trails Ajit Pawar’s camp by nearly 30 seats.
In the 2019 assembly elections, the undivided NCP had secured 54 seats, with its ally Congress winning 44. This time, however, the Sharad Pawar faction lags behind not just the Congress but also Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena, which has also dealt with internal rifts.
The results position the Sharad Pawar faction as the weakest link in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, signaling a challenging road ahead for the octogenarian leader and his team.