Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction) strongman Sanjay Raut on Wednesday played down speculation Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar might join the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, declaring the ex-Maharashtra deputy chief minister would ‘not become a slave of the BJP’. “I don’t think he will do such things and go with them…” Raut told reporters.
“… Ajit Pawar is a senior leader of the Nationalist Congress Party. (His) political future is bright with NCP. So there is nothing to worry about…” Raut was quoted by news agency ANI.
“NCP supremo Sharad Pawar is a guardian and we are with them. Yesterday Uddhav Thackeray and I had discussions with Pawar on many issues. Our connection is like Fevicol… no one can separate it. There is no confusion in it,” the Rajya Sabha MP insisted.
Pawar is the nephew of NCP boss Sharad Pawar and one of the highest-profile members of the Maha Vikas Aghadi – the Sena-NCP-Congress alliance that was in power before Eknath Shinde split Thackeray’s party (with help from the BJP) and brought down the government.
Talk of Ajit Pawar making a switch to the BJP gathered pace after criticism of Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole, whom he blamed for comments leading to spats in the MVA.
“Many-a-time Nana Patole says things that lead to differences in the Maha Vikas Aghadi. If he has any objection then, instead of going to the media, he should raise it with (NCP leader) Jayant Patil or Uddhav Thackeray,” Pawar said.
READ | Will he, won’t he? Buzz grows over Ajit Pawar’s next move
What did the Congress say?
The Congress leader hit back swiftly, denying the claim and stating he had, in fact, conveyed his views to Patil, who is the state head of the NCP. “Ajit Pawar seemingly not aware of facts. We briefed their state president Jayant Patil. If he did not tell… it is his fault,” he said.
On speculation that Ajit Pawar could join the BJP, Patole warned the NCP it would weaken the opposition’s challenge to the BJP, particularly with a general election due next year.
Pawat-to-BJP talk also gained momentum after his comment about the trustworthiness of Electronic Voting Machines, problems with which are frequently flagged by opposition parties after tightly-fought election results that swing the BJP’s way.
That was a day after Raut credited EVMs for the BJP’s many election wins.
What does the BJP say?
Chandrashekhar Bawankule, the head of the party’s Maharashtra unit, said Thursday he is unaware of Pawar joining his party and that he had not spoken to him on the subject.
“I don’t have any information about him joining the BJP or having any talks with anyone in the party. He has not held any discussions with me,” Bawankule told ANI.
The Ajit Pawar saga
In 2019, as the uncle worked offstage to stitch together an alliance with the (then unified) Shiv Sena and the Congress to keep the saffron party out of power, the nephew joined hands with them and was sworn in as deputy to Devendra Fadnavis in a highly controversial and secretive ceremony at Raj Bhavan. That ‘government’ lasted less than 48 hours.
Pawar (and the lawmakers whose support he claimed) returned to the NCP fold but, since then, his status as No 2 in the party has been under a cloud, particularly after senior leaders Supriya Sule and Jayant Patil were given more responsibility. Many of Pawar’s aides believe he will remain in the NCP rather than switch to a party where his status will be diminished.
Will he stay or will he go? Either way, the speculation surrounding Ajit Pawar is unlikely to die down soon and certainly not without an emphatic declaration from the NCP leader.
With input from agencies
