As Maharashtra politics sees a churn, such meetings will continue in the coming days from Mumbai to Delhi, but unrest is visible in every party.
It’s exactly a week since Ajit Pawar along with his 8 MLAs who were sworn in as ministers in the Eknath Shinde Cabinet of Maharashtra took oath of office as Deputy Chief Minister and Cabinet ministers in Mumbai. The developments have given a shock to his political guru and uncle, Maratha strongman the 83-year-old Sharad Pawar, as well as political pundits. The reason behind this coup in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is none other than BJP strongman in the state and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis who turned the table, bringing the situation to the extent of repeat and rewind of what happened a year ago with Shiv Sena.
It was in 2019 that Ajit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis took the oath of office—Fadnavis as Chief Minister and Ajit Pawar as Deputy, but this lasted for 72 hours and both of them had to step down due to the Uddhav-led Shiv Sena joining hands with the MVA (Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi). This was a big humiliation for Fadnavis and the BJP. Sharad Pawar a fortnight ago made a statement that it was his “googly” to Devendra Fadnavis that he asked his nephew Ajit Pawar to go and join hands with BJP then, but the motive behind was hard bargain with the Sena and Congress. In the last three-and-a-half years, Ajit Pawar, 63, became deputy Chief Minister for the third time as he felt that his uncle Sharad Pawar did not want Ajit Pawar to have the reins of the Nationalist Congress Party and named Supriya Sule, Sharad Pawar’s daughter, as successor and he was not given any post in the NCP, and hence Ajit Pawar thought this was the right time to hit the nail and he once again became the deputy Chief minister.
Since then, Maharashtra politics has been one of rounds of baithaks (meetings) in every corner of Mumbai. There is unrest in the Shinde camp and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had to convene four rounds of meets with disgruntled MLAs voicing serious concerns of being cut short with the NCP in BJP fold. The MLAs said they have been cheated, and the situation was so serious that to calm down the Shinde camp Sena MLAs, Chief Minister Shinde had to cut short his tour to Nagpur where President Droupadi Murmu was on a three-day visit and air dashed to Mumbai.
As a show of strength, Sharad Pawar started his campaign from Satara Karad on the eve of Guru Purnima and had rounds of meetings with his daughter Supriya Sule, including at YB Centre, where thousands of workers and 13 MLAs and MPs gathered. Not only in Mumbai, Pawar, after a series of meets, shifted his base to Delhi by calling an executive meet of the NCP, knowing that Ajit Pawar does not have any base in Delhi; he is camping in Delhi with his daughter and “calling the shots”.
The Uddhav-led Shiv Sena had three meetings after the “coup” in NCP and expressed sympathy with Pawar by expressing solidarity with him, but their meetings were aimed at reversing the scene by breaking the Shinde camp and claimed around 10 MLAs of the Shinde camp wanted to join back his fold.
Congress as a mute spectator had four rounds of meetings of their leadership and is eyeing the LOP in Maharashtra Assembly, as they have maximum numbers of MLAs in Maharashtra Opposition, but to their shock, Sharad Pawar with 13 MLAs to his side made his MLA as LOP.
Interestingly, MNS’ Raj Thackeray too has had three rounds of meetings with his party leaders and is looking at an opportunity to revive his lost political ground. There is a demand from both Uddhav and Raj factions that both brothers Uddhav and Raj should unite, but Raj Thackeray doesn’t seem to be keen and he met Eknath Shinde at his residence. The sword of disqualification is hanging on Eknath Shinde along with his 16 supporting MLAs and if the fears come true, then he might have to step down from office.
At a recent meet with party workers, Ajit Pawar openly said that he wanted to become the chief minister; he said his uncle Sharad Pawar should not be unhappy over his move as history repeats self, as his uncle Sharad Pawar also took a similar decision in 1978 and joined hands with Jan Sangh. Ajit Pawar said: “He is my ideal and I have learnt everything from him since my childhood.”
To calm down the Shinde camp, another expansion of the Cabinet is on the cards, but the Ajit camp is unhappy over portfolios. Unrest in the BJP camp too is being heard; despite having the largest number of 105 MLAs, uncertainty exists.
A meeting of BJP MLAs and MLCs also took place in Garware House Worli chaired by BPY leadership and Devendra Fadnavis. Such meetings will continue in the coming days too from Mumbai to Delhi, but unrest is visible in every party. Ajit Pawar saying that he also wants to become the Chief Minister can be read as having the potential to unveil new turns in the future of Maharashtra politics.