NCP's shifting sands: Pawar legacy, Sunetra's future and political manoeuvres

The Nationalist Congress Party, founded by Sharad Pawar in 1999, completed 27 years on June 10 in the political space of Maharashtra and the nation. Its share in the political consciousness of the state has always been larger than its actual ground presence due to the larger-than-life image of Sharad Pawar as the Maratha Machiavelli. That is why, even after Ajit Pawar split from his uncle, taking away the majority of the legislators and the grassroots organisation, the NCP(SP) is soldiering on. On the other hand, the unfortunate and untimely death of Ajit Pawar has raised a question mark about the future of the Sunetra Pawar (late Ajit Pawar’s wife)-led NCP, as many leaders are trying to influence, if not control, her decision-making.

Take the recent case of the nomination for the Rajya Sabha seat vacated by Sunetra Pawar. Senior NCP minister Chhagan Bhujbal was interested in being nominated, as he wants to make his presence felt at the national level now. The party was ready too, but Bhujbal wanted his nephew, Sameer, to replace him in the Maharashtra cabinet. The BJP strongly objected to this kind of swap. Bhujbal’s logic behind this swap was simple: all senior leaders have their kin in key roles in the state. He pointed out the example of Sunil Tatkare, the state president of the party, who is an MP in the Lok Sabha, and his daughter Aditi is a minister for women and child welfare in Maharashtra. A birdie tells us that privately, he also pointed to Sunetra Pawar and said she is the deputy chief minister, and her son Parth has got a Rajya Sabha seat as an MP. Bhujbal felt that, being a founding member of the NCP—he was then number two in the party after Sharad Pawar—the swap should be allowed. The BJP (read Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis), however, busted his dream.

It was then that the NCP zeroed in on Rajendra Jain, a former legislator and close aide of senior NCP leader Praful Patel. Jain was asked to file nomination papers and was elected unopposed as the Maha Vikas Aghadi did not field a candidate. Even if the MVA had fielded a candidate, it would not have helped; they don’t have the numbers to take on the saffron Maha Yuti in Maharashtra.

Jain becoming an RS MP has suddenly elevated the status of the Patel-Tatkare duo in the NCP. A few days ago, questions were being raised about their stature in the party, as information sent to the Election Commission by the NCP office did neither mention Patel as national working president nor Tatkare as state president.

The two NCPs celebrated Foundation Day separately. NCP(SP) on June 10, the actual day the party was founded. The NCP led by Sunetra Pawar celebrated it on June 11, as Sunetra had to be in Delhi for a crucial NDA allies meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Sunetra, in her speech, said that only work and merit will decide the fate of the party activists. It is little secret that all election tickets have to be given after consultation with the BJP’s top leadership in the state. Had Ajit Pawar been alive, this would not have been the case. Even the finance portfolio, which he held and which was taken over by Fadnavis after the former’s death, has not been returned to the NCP. Only the CM knows whether it will ever be returned to the NCP.

There is also talk in political circles that the Congress has given a merger offer to NCP(SP), the same way it has given to the TMC in West Bengal. Former state president of Congress Nana Patole has said that the proposal was always there, and the party has now started acting in that direction. It will be interesting to watch the moves of Sharad Pawar, the grand old man of Maharashtra and Maratha politics. The air will continue to be thick with speculation until he speaks his mind.