Pawar8217;s fails to melt sugar-belt bigwigs

MUMBAI, MAY 31: Western Maharashtra, more specifically the sugar belt, will be the battleground between the Congress and expelled leader ...

MUMBAI, MAY 31: Western Maharashtra, more specifically the sugar belt, will be the battleground between the Congress and expelled leader Sharad Pawar as at least five prominent leaders, four MLAs and one MLC, kept away from the crucial meeting of legislators called by the Pawar camp today. Leaders with considerable clout in the influential sugar lobby, they have bargained for more time to make up their minds in the party versus Pawar fight.

Belying initial hopes that they will support Pawar without looking backwards, they stayed away from the meeting called by Pawar loyalists Chhagan Bhujbal and Madhukar Pichad and instead chose to call PCC president Prataprao Bhosale to inform him of their neutral position.

MLAs Vijaysinh Mohite-Patil, Jayant Patil, R R Patil and Shankarrao Jagtap and veteran MLC Vishnuanna Patil have been fence-sitting ever since Pawar rebelled. They have been meeting leaders of both sides and discussing their options with both the Pawar camp as well as the party.

While the Pawargroup is saying that they will hop over eventually, Bhosale is taking heart from their continuing dialogue with party leaders including central observers like Ghulam Nabi Azad.

Of the powerful five, Jayant Patil 8212; president of the Maharashtra State Sugar Growers Federation 8212; is a vital link in the sugar lobby politics. Jayant Patil had even attended one of the first few meetings held by Pawar in Mumbai immediately after raising the rebellion a fortnight back.

Vishnuanna Patil has been a trusted Pawar acolyte for years; his word is said to carry immense weight in the sugar cooperative sector. RR Patil, the youngest in the group, was chosen as a person of potential by Pawar; a sharp speaker and diligent legislator, he has been instrumental in bringing the Sena-BJP government on its knees on several occasions.

Mohite-Patil was in Mumbai yesterday but chose not to stay back either for the Congress meeting or Sharad Pawar8217;s parallel meeting. However, he touched base on the telephone with Bhosale during theday as did other leaders from the sugar belt. The party is gleeful that five influential elected representatives, considered to be pro-Pawar, have not cast their dice with him yet. On their part, PCC leaders are doing everything 8212; doling out assurances, offering key party positions 8212; to keep them in the party fold.

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Though almost all of them pleaded their inability to the two meetings at due to local commitments confirmed earlier, it has set the cat among the pigeons. With key sugar belt leaders keeping their distance from Pawar for over two weeks, there8217;s immense speculation of his losing grip over the western Maharashtra region 8212; his traditional bastion as well as that of the Congress party. This is where the battle lies in the days to come.