Maharashtra Politics: Reconciliation In Pawar Family And Discord In Mahayuti Is The New Buzz!

There is a big buzz in western Maharashtra about how NCP founder Sharad Pawar has chosen to not criticise the BJP-led NDA government over many subjects, including the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, the fall of the Indian currency against the dollar, and the recent security-related issues. A lot of speculation is happening about whether Sharad Pawar has decided to stop confronting the ruling BJP and whether there is reconciliation between him and his estranged nephew, state Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. Ironically, while talks about the Pawars coming closer are buzzing, on the other side of the political divide, inside the ruling Mahayuti, there are rumours about how the relations between Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde are not exactly cordial anymore, and some speculation is happening about what the fallout of this situation will be in the coming civic polls in Maharashtra.

The NCP founder, Sharad Pawar, spoke with the media a couple of days ago about the dastardly terror attack in Kashmir that happened last week. He said the country should stand united and support the central government in this hour of crisis. This stand taken by Pawar is understandable, as most opposition parties in the country took a similar stand after the Kashmir incident. However, it is noteworthy that this was not the only issue on which Sharad Pawar was seen coming out in support of the central government. Earlier, it was reported in the media that Sharad Pawar's NCP virtually abstained at all levels from the debate over the Waqf bill issue and also avoided confrontation with the BJP on issues like inflation and other economic matters. Against this backdrop, Sharad Pawar and his estranged nephew Ajit Pawar were seen attending some administrative meetings together in Pune, resulting in speculation in political circles about whether they had reached some sort of an understanding about cooperation in the future.

It seems that Pawar senior has decided to not get aggressive against the BJP and has taken a soft approach over many Hindutva-related policy decisions that the BJP-led government at the centre has taken. This will affect Sharad Pawar's party in his bastion of western Maharashtra in the coming civic as well as district council polls. The big question is whether Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar will get closer and, at some stage, officially announce cooperation or reconciliation. In the past few weeks, some prominent activists of Sharad Pawar's NCP were seen meeting Ajit Pawar, and most of them claimed that the meetings were related to development projects in their constituencies. However, the speculation is that many may actually be crossing over to Ajit Pawar's NCP ahead of the civic polls. This is the impact of Ajit Pawar's NCP doing better than expected in the last assembly polls and firmly being part of the ruling alliance in the state.

While a reconciliation in the Pawar family has created a big buzz, all is not well inside the ruling Mahayuti alliance on the other side of the political divide. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's decision to go to Srinagar and coordinate the rescue operations for the tourists raised eyebrows in the BJP, as CM Fadnavis had initially nominated cabinet minister and BJP leader Girish Mahajan for the same. It seemed like Shinde was making a political statement, standing parallel to the government. Talks about some discord between Fadnavis and Shinde have been doing the rounds in the corridors of Mantralaya in Mumbai for months now. Shinde's actions showed that he was getting competitive within the Mahayuti.

On issues such as the appointment of guardian ministers for various districts and allocation of funds for various development projects, there have been major disagreements between the members of the Mahayuti alliance. Appointment of a guardian minister for the Raigad district has not happened till now, and the competition for that between NCP's Aditi Tatkare and Shiv Sena's Bharat Gogawale has been creating headlines for weeks now. It is obvious that the BJP leadership has been trying its best to achieve some balance between the Mahayuti partners by taking some decisions in favour of the Shiv Sena while giving some benefits to Ajit Pawar's NCP. However, Shinde's Shiv Sena has made repeated complaints that they have been getting a raw deal compared to Ajit Pawar's NCP.

How the balance, or lack of it, in the Mahayuti affects this ruling alliance in the civic polls of Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai and Pune will be a crucial factor to watch. The seat sharing among alliance partners will be crucial in Mumbai and Thane, as the margin of the winning candidate is going to be very small. What equations develop between the alliance partners on both sides of the political divide will be very interesting to watch!

Rohit Chandavarkar is a senior journalist who has worked for 31 years with various leading newspaper brands and television channels in Mumbai and Pune.