NCP chief Sharad Pawar's appointment of his daughter and Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule, along with senior leader Praful Patel, as working presidents of the party, on Saturday is typical of the man who has straddled Indian politics for nearly half-a-century. Announcing the two leaders' elevation, Pawar dismissed reports about his nephew and former state minister Ajit Pawar being unhappy at being overlooked for the party's top position. He said such speculation does not contain “even 1 per cent truth”. While Pawar denied it, Sule's elevation does raise questions on Ajit's role in the party in near future. Until recently, he was seen as heading towards taking control of the party's Maharashtra unit, with Sule handling national matters. Asked at the media conference in Delhi who would be the new party chief, Pawar said the post is “not vacant yet”. It is Sule's appointment that may raise some eyebrows. An articulate voice in the Lok Sabha, Sule was understood to have been happy in this role, leaving more nitty-gritty political matters in Maharashtra to cousin Ajit. Her elevation as Maharashtra in-charge may see her stepping on Ajit's shoes, and all eyes will be on whether this proves to be the breaking point for the rebellious nephew. At a press conference after the party event, Pawar said everyone had been consulted on the decisions. “Everybody in the party has specific responsibilities. Jayant Patil is Maharashtra president of the NCP, Ajit Pawar is the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly. Patel and Sule had no responsibilities until now,” he said. There was no immediate reaction from Ajit. But BJP, which has tacitly and overtly courted Ajit, did not refrain from taking a swipe. Its leader in the Legislative Council, Pravin Darekar, said: "Be it NCP workers or the public perception, after Pawar, everybody looks at Ajit Pawar as the second-in-command. And this is on merit, because Ajit is hardworking and has built the organisation. Yet, Sharad Pawar has chosen his daughter to lead the party as his political heir."
