FOR A party that has been wrecked by desertions, the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) decision to name Sharad Pawar in an alleged money laundering case came as a boon to the NCP leadership, and gave a rallying point to its dispirited cadre. On Friday evening, however, the decision of Ajit Pawar — also an accused in the ED case — to resign as the MLA from Baramati, wiped the smile off the faces of many NCP workers. No one in the party, or outside it, are sure what the resignation is about. Is it part of a larger act scripted by Sharad Pawar to revive the party? Or is it frequently talked about simmering rift between uncle and nephew that has led to the dramatic resignation from the Assembly, which has anyway only weeks left? Ajit, the son of Sharad Pawar’s elder brother Anantrao, has charted a career graph similar to that of his uncle’s — rising through a firm grip on cooperative sector. He has been by his uncle’s side since 1991-92. Since the formation of the NCP by Pawar, there has always been speculation as to who would take over the party after Pawar. In 2009, Ajit, who considered himself the heir-apparent to the NCP chief, had to brush aside talks that he was insecure about his cousin Supriya Sule’s entry into electoral politics in that year’s Lok Sabha elections. While the cousins have denied they are rivals, the entry of a third generation Pawar — Rohit, the grand nephew of the NCP chief — and his decision to contest the Assembly elections is said to have rattled his uncle Ajit. Ajit is no stranger in using the resignation tactic to have his way. In 2012, he had decided to give up all his ministerial portfolios and resign as the deputy chief minister over accusations of irregularities in irrigation projects during his tenure as the state water resources minister. The Prithviraj Chavan government had fallen in crisis following his resignation with other NCP ministers also threatening to walk out . Sharad Pawar had to then step in to save the government. Pawar’s decision to step back from contesting the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year was also said to be because of Ajit’s insistence on fielding his son Parth Pawar from Maval. The NCP chief, meanwhile, was also said to be crossed over his nephew’s recent decision to flutter saffron flags along with the party flag at all NCP events. At the moment, Ajit’s decision has created some flux within the party, adding to the uncertainty that had gripped it since the desertions from its top and middle hierarchy began. It seemed on Friday morning that Sharad Pawar had re-emerged fighting. But by late evening, that headline had been eclipsed by his nephew.
