Now, Sharad Pawar-Prashant Kishor meet raises eyebrows

Sharad Pawar. File pic/Ashish Raje (right) Prashant Kishor. Pic/Twitter

A luncheon meeting between Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar and election strategist Prashant Kishor caused a flutter in the political corridors on Friday. Kishor, fresh from grand success in the West Bengal and Tamil Nadu Assembly polls, is understood to have shared his experiences and perceptions with the veteran leader, who is being projected as an aggregator of parties that want to stop the Bharatiya Janata Party's juggernaut at the Centre and in the states.

The meeting held significance in view of a series of political developments. On Thursday, Pawar said at the party's foundation day that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) would continue to function smoothly in Maharashtra, because the Shiv Sena was a trusted partner; after a closed-door meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray gave rise to speculations of political instability in the state. He added that the MVA would work together in the next Lok Sabha and Assembly polls. There have been talks of having the ‘Maharashtra Model' in states where the multi-party set-up exists, and most of them are opposed to the BJP. More importantly, it is pertinent for leaders like Pawar to bring such forces together to put up a strong fight against the BJP. Anyways, Pawar is being projected as the next head of the UPA or UPA-like mega alliance, with or without the Indian National Congress.

Sources said that Kishor's strategic inputs could be valuable in such a national attempt. Thursday's meeting could have been the beginning of such an effort, the sources said, adding that the NCP might think of exclusively consulting Kishor's professional organisation for ensuring its growth in Maharashtra, if it is determined to emerge as the single largest party.

A leader said as far as Maharashtra was concerned, Kishor has worked for the Shiv Sena in 2019 Assembly elections, and was consulted when the MVA formed after the Sena broke up with the BJP. "Though Kishor has said he is quitting ‘this space', the strategist in him will never die. His teams will continue to work under his mentorship. And, if he comes back to active politics, then, he will be a prized catch," said the leader.

The luncheon was scheduled after Kishor started meeting leaders who supported the West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and her Tamil Nadu counterpart MK Stalin. Pawar's MP daughter Supriya Sule, MLA grandnephew Rohit and state NCP president Jayant Patil were also with the two for three hours at his Mumbai residence Silver Oak.

Pawar's nephew and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, who was in Pune, said his uncle likes to meet people from various walks of life. "Many people visit him. He likes to learn from them. Kishor must have shared his experiences," he said.

Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut said there was nothing wrong if the meeting was held for understanding certain things. "There is no need to pay much attention to it," he said from Nandurbar.