Will he, won’t he? Ajit Pawar’s long wait for CM post

When Ajit Pawar led his faction to join the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance, his followers believed he was promised the CM post. But Ajit Pawar took the oath as deputy CM and ensured plum portfolios for his colleagues: Dilip Walse-Patil (cooperation), Dhananjay Munde (agriculture), Chhagan Bhujbal (food and civil supplies), Aditi Tatkare (women and child welfare) etc.

Despite Praful Patel’s statement, however, Ajit Pawar is unlikely to be elevated to the coveted post immediately.

“There will be no change of guard in Maharashtra. Eknath Shinde will continue as CM,” Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said a couple of days ago, adding, “I am making such a statement with full authority being the leader of the largest party, BJP.” Ironically, it is Fadnavis who had to sacrifice his posts for the sake of forming alliances – first, the chief minister’s post to Shinde, and now, the finance portfolio to Ajit Pawar.

Reflecting on the CM debate, a senior BJP functionary said, “The BJP central leadership does not act in haste.

Every decision is carefully weighed and executed. It was the central leadership that gave the nod to Eknath Shinde’s leadership in Maharashtra.”

After Operation Lotus and Shinde’s rebellion, when he was made chief minister, Shinde was reportedly promised that he would complete a full term of 2.5 years and that the BJP would contest Lok Sabha and state Assembly polls under his leadership.

Although the BJP has woken up to the realisation that the Shinde Sena has not been able to deliver as expected, it finds itself in a Catch-22 situation. Any attempt to distance the Shinde Sena would raise questions about the BJP’s commitment to its allies. This is probably what prompted the BJP to get the NCP into its fold while retaining the Shinde Sena.

With the Ajit Pawar-led NCP in its camp, the BJP hopes to make deep inroads into western Maharashtra with 11 Lok Sabha seats and 70 Assembly seats. Maharashtra has 48 Lok Sabha seats and 288 Assembly seats.

BJP insiders reveal Ajit Pawar has promised to deliver excellent electoral results and the party has set the ambitious target of 45-plus Lok Sabha seats and 230-plus Assembly seats.

Adding to the drama, in the last two weeks, Ajit Pawar and other senior party leaders have also been spotted cosying up to the Sharad Pawar-led faction. “A section of those who have remained with Sharad Pawar are also realising they would derive more benefit from being in power. After all, every MLA wants funds for his/her constituency development,” a senior NCP leader said, requesting anonymity.

On his part, Sharad Pawar has refused to associate with the BJP citing ideological differences. But developments in the last two weeks indicate that relations between the two are far from frosty.

During the monsoon session, Sunil Tatkare, the newly appointed state president of Ajit Pawar-led NCP, was seen chatting with in-house rival state NCP chief Jayant Patil of the Sharad Pawar NCP faction. Tatkare and Patil shook hands, embraced each other and were seen laughing together, leading many to wonder if the NCP was divided after all.

“When Ajit Pawar took oath, I had said the first team of NCP has come to BJP. Now, I say the next will follow soon,” Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray had said, adding that seasoned leaders like Walse-Patil and Bhujbal cannot switch sides without Sharad Pawar’s blessings.

The Sharad Pawar faction has been quick to deny such speculation. “Sharad Pawar has taken a decision based on ideology. He has made it clear he will not associate with BJP. We stood by him,” Patil said.

Admitting that nothing is impossible in politics, insiders say that it is likely that the BJP leadership has asked Ajit Pawar to deliver results in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The Assembly polls will be held after six months. “If the election results are such that the BJP cannot form a government without NCP’s support, it will have to concede the CM post to Ajit Pawar,” a political strategist said.