NCP rise stalled, Ajit Pawar pulls out reverse card, splits party in 2019 rerun

Since his failed rebellion in 2019, Ajit had scotched speculation about cosying up to the BJP, but he always held a strong urge to carve his own political legacy very different from what his uncle has cultivated in his half a century long stint in politics.

While both uncle and nephew have had a habit of rebelling against their mentors, Sharad Pawar did so by going against his mentor Vasantdada Patil to form his own government in 1978, the similarity between the two ends there. Unlike the confident and people-friendly Pawar senior, his nephew is known for his brusque style of functioning, short temper and intolerance of dissent. It has long been his ambition to emerge from the NCP chief’s shadow.

Like the rest of the Pawar family, Ajit, the son of Pawar’s elder brother Anantrao, rose in politics through the cooperative sector. By Pawar’s side since 1991-’92, he fancied himself as heir apparent after Pawar broke away from the Congress to form the NCP in 1999.

Ajit was elevated to the Cabinet minister rank in Maharashtra at the age of 40 in 1999 after having served as a junior minister for over nine years. He subsequently went on to helm heavyweight ministries such as Irrigation, rural development, water resources, and finance that helped him spread his clout throughout the state, including his own pocket borough of west Maharashtra.

Known for his deep pockets and determination to get work done, Ajit has substantial clout among NCP members. He was also instrumental in creating a new rung of NCP leaders whose allegiance lies strongly with him.

It was Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule’s entry into politics in the 2009 parliamentary elections that first led to speculation about unease within the NCP’s first family. Another irritant for the Ajit camp was the entry into politics of Pawar’s grandnephew Rohit Pawar. Rohit contested and won the last Assembly election.

This isn’t the first time Ajit has left the NCP stunned. In 2004, he publicly differed with the party leadership’s decision to concede the chief ministership to the Congress despite emerging as the single-largest party. In 2012, he suddenly resigned as Deputy CM over accusations of irregularities in irrigation projects during his tenure as the water resources minister, jeopardising the future of the Congress-led government as other NCP ministers threatened to follow suit. At the time, Pawar senior stepped in to save the government.

Weeks before the last Assembly elections, Ajit broke down in public over the Enforcement Directorate naming him and Pawar in a money-laundering case, claiming he was hurt. He subsequently resigned as MLA and went incommunicado. Pawar’s decision to step back from contesting the 2019 Lok Sabha elections was said to have stemmed from Ajit’s insistence on fielding his son Parth from Maval. Parth’s loss is believed to have added to the bad blood in the family.

Following the 2019 Assembly elections, Ajit Pawar finally worked up the courage to break away from his uncle to form a short-lived government with the BJP. What may have given Ajit the courage to go against his uncle was the fact that his victory in the polls that year was his sixth straight one and he also registered the highest victory margin in the state. Ajit is said to have a strong hold over several NCP MLAs, having doled out favours to them over the years. But when it came to choosing between him and his uncle, several legislators backed the senior Pawar despite being indebted to Ajit. Pawar himself returned to the NCP fold and was made the Deputy CM.

But the undercurrents of tension remained. On May 2, when Sharad Pawar announced his resignation as the party president many believed it was the veteran leader’s ploy to checkmate his nephew amid rumours that Ajit and a cohort of MLAs were getting ready to again join hands with the BJP. Ajit was also vociferous in supporting his uncle’s decision to call it quits.

“He is thinking about handing over the leadership to a new leader. Irrespective of who holds the position, the party will work under saheb (Sharad Pawar). Let’s not get emotional about all of this,” Ajit said at the time. He was seen controlling the entire situation and even asking Supriya Sule to not speak.

Days later, Pawar withdrew his resignation and subsequently in June overlooked him and appointed Supriya, the Lok Sabha MP from Baramati, and Rajya Sabha MP Praful Patel the party’s national working presidents.

It was then that the dissatisfaction started to bubble up. Days after Pawar’s move, Ajit said he wanted to give up the post of Leader of Opposition in the Assembly and work in the organisation. “I have worked for many years in the party. I have worked in many posts. The post of Opposition leader is not what I demanded. It was on insistence by party MLAs who signed on a letter that I chose the position … but now I want to give up the Leader of the Opposition post,” he said at the NCP’s foundation day programme at Shanmukhananda Hall in Mumbai attended by Sharad Pawar and other senior leaders.

He went on to say, “I request that I now want to work on a position in the party organisation. I assure you that I will give you the best results and I will show you what I can do. I will accept any position that you will give me. But let me show you what I can do in organisation.”

Ajit Pawar’s demand came after he narrated how he was instrumental in the victory of many NCP MLAs in 2019 and took decisions without delay. “You all know how I work in Mantralaya. I end the matter with yes or no. I did the same in 2019 Assembly polls,” said Pawar.

Earlier, Ajit narrated how despite being a powerful national player, the NCP did not manage to win Maharashtra single-handedly. “It has not happened because we are lacking somewhere. We must overcome our problems. It is now time to bring the party to power.”