Restructuring of the NCP amid denials

NCP leader Ajit Pawar at Vidhan Bhavan on February 27. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Ajit Pawar has denied that he was upset over his cousin's elevation in the party organisation. He has clarified that he himself had suggested making Supriya Sule the working president of the Nationalist Congress Party when a committee of leaders was entrusted with the job of resolving the issue of leadership in the wake of party president Sharad Pawar's resignation last month. According to him, most of the committee members prioritised the decision to ask the party boss to withdraw his resignation and put other things, such as Supriya's appointment, on hold. "I had suggested Supriya's name for the working president, but others said that requesting Pawar saheb to withdraw his resignation should be our priority. They did not wish to take up any other matter. When working in a democracy one has to go by the majority and it happened that way only," he told the media on Saturday on his arrival from Delhi where Sule and Praful Patel were anointed as the working presidents. Ajit Pawar was present at the announcement. Later, his very presence and some unpredictable actions before leaving Delhi led to the speculations that he was upset.

Upset over the speculations that became the breaking story peg, Ajit Pawar clarified that his political interest was in Maharashtra and there would be no two power centres in the party. "Supriya is an excellent Parliamentarian. Her work has been recognised and praised time and again. I have always spoken very clearly about my area of interest, " he added, asking whether he should give it in writing on stamp paper. "Gossip happens in the streets, but now I understand that the media too indulges in gossiping," he quipped. In Delhi, Pawar senior said the speculations that Ajit was denied a party responsibility did not have ‘even one per cent truth'. He said the decision was in accordance with the party's ‘one person one post' rule because Ajit had been working as the Opposition leader and leader of the NCP legislative party in Maharashtra.

If it was so, then, what led Ajit Pawar to come out with a clarification? Because, firstly, he did not talk to the media in Delhi, but later tweeted his reaction. Leaving the meeting, he headed for the airport and could not be reached over the phone till he landed in Pune. Secondly, a video clip that showed him sitting at a distance from the dignitaries added to the rumours of him being sidelined. In fact, before shifting to the extreme flank, he had been seated almost in the middle, next to the big leaders, but later gave up his chair for a senior MP hailing from the other state. "It was a gesture of showing respect, but it went unnoticed," said Ajit Pawar's aide, shifting the blame for misleading information on the media bias, unmindful of the fact that Ajit Pawar could have assessed what was coming his way and prevented what he later thought was misleading reporting, by quickly talking to the media in Delhi.

Also, it wasn't the first time that Ajit Pawar met with such a situation. It happened when he skipped the media conference at which Sharad Pawar withdrew his resignation in May. There had been instances even before that found Ajit Pawar in the headlines, especially when it boiled down to the Pawar family. Clarifications had been given whenever the family chieftains deemed it fit. Saturday was no different. More focus was on Ajit instead of the new appointees. In the future, it is more likely that the speculations of a rift won't stop, perhaps intensify further because the NCP's new set-up is productive for internal politics, skirmishes and disagreements.

Ajit Pawar has underlined his interest in Maharashtra. Many say his ultimate wish is to be the CM of the state that has kept the party kicking and brought it up in the reckoning yet again after its revival during the MVA regime. Ajit was rehabilitated by his uncle despite a failed coup in 2019. It had been a testing time for the four-time DCM ever since. Eknath Shinde's break-up with Uddhav Thackeray had shocked many because they had been expecting either the NCP or the Congress to split to put the MVA down. As the talks of Shinde's downfall began early this year, Ajit shot to the fore yet again, with speculators projecting him as the BJP's next associate. Henceforth, it will be interesting to see how he copes up with the new organisational arrangement.

Dharmendra Jore is political editor, mid-day. He tweets @dharmendrajore

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