Politics at one level is also a game of ironies. Maharashtra strongman Sharad Pawar, who had parted company with the Congress after his foreign origin remarks against Sonia Gandhi in 1999, is faced with a big dilemma. With the Maharashtra Speaker declaring the breakaway faction of Ajit Pawar as the real Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), he has the option of merging his own faction with the Congress, or can move the Supreme Court to seek redressal. In any case, keen observers of Maharashtra politics still believe that Ajit Pawar and his other associates could not have parted company with him without his consent and blessings.
The wily Maratha has the knack of playing on both sides of the chess board, and the reason why this suspicion over his being hand in glove with his nephew has arisen, is due to multiple factors. No one would ever believe that Dilip Valse Patil, who served as his PA at one stage and Chaggan Bhujbal would have ever left him, had he not sent them off on the other side. Moreover, there are common business interests he shares with his nephew and some others, which are a major binding factor, and this drama of parting ways is carefully crafted and scripted. The primary reason of Sharad Pawar remaining in active politics is his concern over the political future of his daughter Supriya Sule. She is a major factor why Pawar has not aligned with the BJP, since she is adamant about sticking to her original ideology and beliefs. Pawar, who could have been the Prime Minister in 1991, had it not been for Sonia Gandhi’s support to P.V.Narasimha Rao at that juncture, could never get to forgive her.
His potshot at her in 1999 where he and two of his colleagues brought up the foreign origin matter, leading to their expulsion, was the consequence of his intrinsic hatred. Sonia Gandhi also does not trust him one bit but if he continued to thrive, it was largely because her political secretary, Ahmed Patel, allowed him to have his way in Maharashtra. It is common knowledge that to keep Sharad Pawar’s flag flying for whatever reasons, Ahmed Patel, on many occasions, gave away the winning seats of the Congress to the NCP to contest. Otherwise, also at the expense of his own party, Patel, was not only accommodative towards him, but also over protective. Sushil Kumar Shinde, who was the Congress Chief Minister during the elections in the early part of this century, was compelled to step down since the NCP, due to Patel’s largesse won two seats more than those of the Congress, and in the bargaining that followed, he brought back Vilasrao Deshmukh, his close friend as the CM, without taking into consideration the seats won by left parties, which were from the original Congress quota. Since Ahmed Patel passed away, some years ago, there are not many in the party who trust or back him. However, Sharad Pawar has his own aura, and continues to thrive because of his deceptive and smart politics.
There are some in Maharashtra, who are of the opinion that Pawar was extremely close to Gautam Adani and was quietly helping him in the ambitious Dharavi project. The area of 2,8 square kilometres, described as Asia’s biggest slum, is being redeveloped and one of the companies of Adani has received the contract. Unconfirmed reports are that a number of Maharashtra politicians have a stake and want this project through. Pawar as a friend and well-wisher of Gautam Adani also wants things to happen smoothly in the overall interests of everyone. His nephew Ajit Pawar, who is on the other side allegedly too would want to see the matter through. Sharad Pawar also enjoys good relations with the BJP, and when there was a talk of a commission to be appointed to go into the Gujarat related issues during the UPI dispensation, he vehemently opposed it and threatened to pull out his party from the government. These are of course deft political moves, which no one other than him can make. Pawar is universally acknowledged as the tallest leader from his State, who could not make it big on the national stage because he preferred to remain Maharashtra’s stake holder in national politics, rather than be a leader of eminence with acceptance all around.
He is without doubt the most astute politician, but his existence was aided in the past decade by the support he has received from the Congress. The same is true even now, and without the backing of a truncated Congress, he shall find it difficult to move ahead. The question is also about the Ajit Pawar faction, where a large number of MLAs won, because of the Congress supporting them in the past. The issue is whether they shall get that kind of similar backing from the BJP as well. The Speaker could have given any ruling and as he has stated, it was based on merit and solid reasoning, the ball would finally be in the court of the people. It is here where Ajit Pawar and also Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who split the Shiv Sena, will have to win and establish themselves. Sharad Pawar has not much to worry about. He has multiple options ahead.