Maha picture: As Eknath Shinde asserts himself, cracks with Ajit Pawar show

Just a month ago, at a joint meeting of the MLAs and MPs representing the Shinde Sena, BJP and NCP (Ajit), a decision was taken to constitute coordination committees for every Lok Sabha and Assembly constituency, with each committee having a representative from all three ruling parties. It was felt that this would help unite their grassroots workers.

However, the differences among the leaders and ministers of the party remain a reality — with frequent forays to Delhi by Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar seen as part of peace-making efforts.

In October, Shinde flew to Delhi twice within 48 hours. Last Friday, Ajit Pawar sought Home Minister Amit Shah’s appointment in Delhi. Meanwhile, with all three parties busy fighting the fires of the ongoing Maratha reservation agitation, Ajit’s aide Chhagan Bhujbal issued a warning to his own government against allotting reservation to Marathas within the OBC category.

“The government’s nod to Kunbi certificates for Marathas is a ploy to provide them a backdoor entry within the OBC quota,” Bhujbal said. Any attempt to pursue this would result in OBCs taking to the streets, he warned.

In retaliation, Shinde Sena minister Sambhuraj Desai said, “Bhujbal’s provocative remarks could prove detrimental for the coalition government.”

Whether by design or coincidence, Bhujbal’s OBC assertion came shortly after the CM had indicated that he was confident of finding a solution to the Maratha reservation issue within two months.

A senior BJP functionary in the government, said, “With elections ahead, each party and its leader/minister are trying to take a stand that is convenient for them.”

Government insiders say Shinde’s growing assertion, both within the state administration and in the political arena, has not gone down well with the NCP (Ajit). Established Maratha leaders across parties are not in favour of reservations for Marathas within the OBC quota. Rather, they want a separate quota for Marathas.

When Ajit Pawar met Amit Shah on Friday, Maratha quota was among the issues that were discussed. It is learnt that the deputy CM wants the Centre to intervene and resolve the issue at the earliest.

Of the three constituents in the ruling NDA coalition, NCP faction leader Ajit Pawar appears to be the most restless. Four months after joining the Shinde Sena-BJP government with 40 MLAs, he reportedly feels stifled between CM Shinde and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis.

That wasn’t the case initially. Within a month of joining the government, Ajit had taken to administrative work with such zeal, many began calling him “Super CM”. But then the government (meaning CM Shinde) issued an order, making it mandatory for all files to be routed through the CMO.

Ajit’s repeated demands for expanding the Cabinet to accommodate MLAs of his faction have also been kept on hold. Now, with Shinde emerging as the de-facto Maratha leader, he feels cast away to the third position within the coalition.

Opposition Congress leader Vijay Waddetiwar said, “Is Ajit Pawar happy in government? In the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, he had a free hand. His potential and dynamism were appreciated. But the BJP has a habit of curtailing the potential of its allies.”

Sunil Tatkare, the president of the NCP (Ajit), underplayed the differences, saying, “Ajit Pawar is down with dengue for two weeks. He has been advised complete rest.”

Adding fuel to the fire, NCP minister Dharamrao Aatram on Saturday said, “Ajit Pawar will become the CM soon.”

The Shinde government has numbers on its side. But the power tussle is likely to get uglier in the coming days, once seat sharing for Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha polls comes up.