The recent meeting between Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar and his nephew Ajit Pawar has again fuelled speculation that something is still brewing in the party.
After Shiv Sena, the NCP was the second party which saw a split, when Ajit, along with eight MLAs, joined the CM Eknath Shinde-deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis government and took oath as Maharashtra cabinet ministers on July 2. The August 12 meeting in Pune was not the first, but the fourth post the split.
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The agenda was almost the same, to convince Pawar to join the anti-Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) camp and seek his blessings.
The last meeting was at the residence of one of the industrialists, who is close to both the uncle and his nephew. According to sources, the result of this meeting was the same — Pawar was firm on supporting the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) front against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its alliance patterns.
Pawar refused to call this meeting “secret”. While speaking to the media last Sunday, Pawar said, “As a senior member of the family, anyone can meet me. What is wrong in meeting a family member?…The original NCP will not join hands with the BJP.”
AJIT SUPPORTS, PAWAR OPPOSES
To keep the flock together before the 2024 general elections, Ajit is continuously making attempts for dialogue with Pawar.
Ajit is of the opinion that Pawar, along with remaining Members of Legislative Assembly (MLA), Members of Parliament (MP) and leaders, should support the vision of PM Modi and accept his decision to join the Sena-BJP state government.
Ajit has already started work to get PM Modi back in power in 2024, whereas Pawar will be guiding the next INDIA meeting in Mumbai, along with Uddhav Thackeray.
Supriya Sule, Pawar’s daughter and MP, was recently seen attacking the Modi government during one of the debates on the floor of the house.
ALL QUIET ON SPLIT
Despite all this, both the factions of the NCP are quiet on the ‘split’. Leaders from both the sides are not speaking about it or even criticising each other for the stand. Both the factions are running their everyday functions smoothly, as though nothing has changed, say insiders.
According to a source, this has created an element of doubt not only among the alliance partners of the MVA, but also in the Sena-BJP camp.
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There is also a discussion in the political corridors of the Maharashtra that both the NCP factions may be playing it safe for now and post the 2024 general elections, they could reunite considering the situation at the time.
Ajit wants Pawar on his side because he doesn’t want the split to continue and also wants other MLAs to be part of the government. Ajit has shown his willingness to negotiate ministerial berths for those leaders with Shinde and Fadnavis.
According to local media reports, a Pawar family member has taken the initiative to start dialogue with Ajit camp leader Praful Patel on how the two can sort out the differences.
Media reports also suggest that several meetings have happened between Patel and the family member, which eventually resulted in last weekend’s meet in Pune.
According to a source within the NCP, a leader close to Pawar has been approached by the BJP on more than two occasions, but he has asked them to convince Pawar first.
Ajit is aware of the power of his uncle. A case in point could be how his one speech turned the entire game for a strong candidate like Udayanraje Bhosale in Satara Lok Sabha bypolls, leading to the victory of Congress’s Srinivas Patil.
