Polls and prestige at stake, Ajit Pawar the devotee and pilgrim takes shape

Party insiders admit that these public displays of piety from Ajit, a veteran politician who has long worked on the ground in these parts, are rare.

Even the Budget that he presented in the Assembly as Finance Minister last week had a gift for the warkaris – Rs 20,000 for every ”dindi’ (or group of them) participating in the Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj and Sant Tukaram Maharaj palkhis to Pandharpur.

These measures by Ajit come in the wake of the Lok Sabha polls, where the NCP did not just finish last among the six major parties in the fray, Sunetra also lost the prestigious Baramati battle to Sharad Pawar-led NCP’s Supriya Sule.

In the Legislative Council polls coming up for 11 seats on July 12, the NCP has two nominees in the fray. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition has forced a contest by nominating three names. With 66 MLAs, the MVA has the numbers to elect two, but will need to break away MLAs from the Mahayuti coalition to ensure a win for a third.

The candidates fielded by the MVA include Pradnya Satav (Congress), Jayant Patil (Peasants and Workers Party) and Milind Narvekar (Sena UBT).”

Of the parties in Mahayuti, Ajit’s NCP is the most vulnerable, after the Lok Sabha poll performance. While it won just one seat out of the four it contested, the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) bagged eight out of its share of 10, stealing a march in the political tussle between the two factions.

Denying any worries regarding cross-voting, NCP spokesperson Umesh Patil said: “Our MLAs went to Siddhivinayak to seek Lord Ganesha’s blessings, which is nothing unusual.” Asserting that not one MLA of the Ajit faction would leave the party, Patil added: “The Sharad Pawar-led party does not have enough candidates to contest the Assembly elections (due at the end of the year). And that is why they are making such desperate noises.”

Speaking to reporters after his temple visit, Ajit said: “In the coming days, I will start campaigning for the Assembly elections. Before that, I decided to take the blessings of Lord Ganesh.”

The NCP has also denied herding its MLAs ahead of the July 12 elections. ”We don’t need to keep our MLAs in a five-star hotel. We trust our MLAs,” NCP state president Sunil Tatkare said Monday, adding that the Mahayuti had “devised a strategy to ensure the victory of all our nine candidates”.

Patil also said that the NCP’s Lok Sabha poll performance would have no bearing on the Assembly elections. The party is particularly banking on the monetary payout announced for women in the state Budget by Ajit.

Among those who have claimed that the Ajit faction’s MLAs are ready to cross-vote is Rohit Pawar of the NCP (Shardchandra Pawar). According to him, more than 15 MLAs of the faction are in touch with them. ”We will take only those who have not been critical of our party’s national president (Sharad Pawar). The final decision will be his,” Rohit said.

He also claimed that Ajit had hired a PR firm for a huge sum as part of the image makeover.

Dismissing this, Umesh Patil said: “Ajit Pawar is a name in himself and does not need any rebranding. He is the most popular leader in Maharashtra.”

NCP (SP) spokesperson Mahesh Tapase said, ”It is clear that Ajit Pawar is worried about his people staying together, which has made him turn to God. He knows if cross-voting happens, his stock will plummet to a new low.”

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said Ajit is worried that “at least three-to-four MLAs might cross-vote in favour of MVA candidates”. “That is why he is resorting to such tactics,” he said, adding, ”The Lord does not help sinners.”