4 min readMumbaiJul 4, 2023 03:35 AM IST
First published on: Jul 3, 2023 at 05:12 PM IST
Maharashtra politics since the toppling of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government last year has been akin to a blood sport, reflecting the extremely polarised nature of the state’s polity. But through all the bitter exchanges between political rivals, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his new partner Ajit Pawar maintained their bond, and this perhaps was a precursor to Sunday’s seismic shift.
After the Assembly elections in 2019, to realise his ambitions, Ajit Pawar had left the fledgling MVA to take oath as Deputy CM alongside Fadnavis, who became the CM, in an early-morning exercise shrouded in secrecy. The arrangement lasted just three days but the bonhomie between the two continued, despite the setback and Ajit’s return to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) fold.
After Fadnavis returned to power last year after engineering a split in the Shiv Sena, Ajit, who became the Leader of the Opposition, was criticised for going soft on the government. It was also noted that the powers that be went out of their way to provide the NCP leader an aircraft to fly down to Mumbai to receive former NCP minister Anil Deshmukh, as he walked out of jail in December. At the time, Ajit had downplayed the issue. “I requested Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to postpone a Business Advisory Committee meeting by a day. When he asked the reason, I told him about travelling to Mumbai (to visit Anil Deshmukh). He offered to advance the meeting and said I could go to Mumbai in a government aeroplane later in the day.”
Ajit Pawar also faced criticism within the party after NCP state president and senior MLA Jayant Patil was suspended from the Assembly during the Winter Session for telling Speaker Rahul Narwekar not to act like “a shameless person”. While Patil refused to apologise, Ajit said sorry on his behalf. But this did not down well with his uncle, and the following morning, Sharad Pawar is said to have pulled him up. The NCP chief reportedly asked Ajit why he allowed Patil’s suspension to go through. Ajit did request that the suspension be revoked, but just once, acquiescing quietly when Fadnavis told the House that a decision would be taken after Shinde’s return from Delhi.
There was also a lot of talk about the Ajit Pawar-led Opposition allegedly targeting only MLAs from Shinde’s camp in the House. According to some insiders, the BJP, specifically Fadnavis, provided the NCP leader with information about ministers belonging to the Shinde Sena. MVA leaders in private also questioned Ajit Pawar’s strategy to boycott House proceedings during the Winter Session after raising allegations against the ministers, thus providing the ruling alliance with an opportunity to provide explanations and not face any cross-examination from the Opposition.
In March, the then Leader of the Opposition’s actions were again questioned following the registration of an FIR based on a complaint by Amruta Fadnavis, the wife of Devendra Fadnavis, alleging a threat and the offer of a bribe. After Ajit Pawar raised the matter in the Assembly and demanded details, Devendra Fadnavis, in a long reply, alleged that the matter was an attempt to trap him and his family. Pawar did not question the Deputy CM further.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders Praful Patel and Chhagan Bhujbal and others meet Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, in Mumbai. (Express Photo) 
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