Chhagan Bhujbal’s OBC bouncer queers Ajit Pawar’s pitch

From every side one looks at it, Bhujbal’s call has a lot of merit. The NCP has not been able to shrug off the image of being a pro-Maratha party even 24 years after it was formed, with most of its top leadership belonging to the community. The OBCs form a 40% chunk of Maharashtra’s population, bigger than the Marathas at 33%. Every party is wooing the OBC vote, with both the Congress’s state chief (Nana Patole) and the BJP’s (Chandrashekhar Bawankule) being OBC. And Bhujbal himself has earned his stripes as an OBC leader, with his long years spent in politics and his vociferous articulation of the OBC cause.

His impatience for a larger role in the NCP barely hidden now, Ajit played his latest move at the party conclave held in Mumbai earlier this week, in the presence of Sharad Pawar. Days after the NCP supremo had unveiled his succession plan, with Supriya Sule and Praful Patel as working presidents, and no word on Ajit, the latter said: “I was never keen on Leader of the Opposition role (in the Assembly). I accepted it because of a signature campaign by the party’s MLAs… I am willing to give up the post… I will be more happy to work for the organisation.”

While Ajit added, “Give me any role”, few were left in doubt about what the NCP leader wanted. With Sule’s position clarified as the national face, Ajit was signalling that the Maharashtra unit should finally be left to him to run. Incidentally, among the states Sule has been given charge of is Maharashtra.

Days later, Bhujbal, known for his blunt speaking, cautioned the NCP about keeping in mind “social engineering”. “If you have a Maratha as LoP, the state party president should be from the OBC,” he said.

Bhujbal added: “I would also like to work as state president. Else, there are many OBC leaders in the party — Sunil Tatkare, Jitendra Awhad, Dhananjay Munde — who can be considered.”