Sharad Pawar, the national president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) claimed that Ajit Pawar, the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, continues to be an NCP leader. He also asserted that there was no division in the party even though a majority of them had joined the BJP-led NDA alliance, citing the intra-party democracy that he claimed granted the rights to its members to take political positions according to their will.
The veteran politician was interacting with the media in his hometown of Baramati in the Pune district of Maharashtra on 25 August. The declaration came a day after his daughter and Baramati MP Supriya Sule alleged that her cousin Ajit Pawar is a senior leader and MLA of the party.
She mentioned, “The party has not split at all. Some took a different position of going with the Bharatiya Janata Party. He has taken a stand that is against the party, and we have given a complaint to the assembly speaker and are awaiting his response,” on 24 August. The NCP supremo responded, “Yes, there is no doubt about it,” to a query on her aforementioned statement.
He stated, “How can anybody say that there is a split in the NCP? Ajit Pawar is our leader. There is no dispute about it. What does a split in a political party mean? A split occurs when a large group in a party is separated at the national level, but no such thing has happened here. Some people left the party and took a different stand, but it does not mean the party has split. In a democracy, it is their right to make a decision.”
Maharashtra | There is no conflict that he (Ajit Pawar) is our leader, there is no split in NCP. How does a split happen in a party? It happens when a big group separates from the party at the national level. But there is no such situation in NCP today. Yes, some leaders took a… pic.twitter.com/iTAYEJ9Mub
— ANI (@ANI) August 25, 2023
Sharad Pawar told a reporter, “Don’t ask whatever you feel like,” in a reply to Chandrashekhar Bawankule, the state president of the BJP, who proclaimed that he would also switch parties before the 2024 elections.
When questioned about a media poll on the approaching general elections, he answered that he was unaware of it. He added, “But we are taking information from different institutions and have come to the conclusion that the MVA (Maha Vikas Aghadi) will get more seats.”
A meeting took place discreetly between both uncle and nephew at the residence of a Pune-based businessman in the Koregaon Park area on 12 August. Sharad Pawar reportedly arrived at around 1 p.m. and departed at about 5 PM whereas Ajit Pawar was observed exiting the building at 6:45 PM, in a methodical attempt to avoid the prying eyes of the cameras.
A former Congress chief minister conveyed that following the meeting, Ajit Pawar reportedly proposed that Sharad Pawar and his daughter, Supriya Sule who is a member of Lok Sabha be appointed as ministers in the Modi government at the centre. The identity of the Congressman was not disclosed.
He alleged, “Ajit had told his uncle that he would be given the post of agriculture minister or NITI Aayog vice-chairman in the Union cabinet. Supriya Sule and Jayant Patil would be included in the central and state government respectively.” However, the senior Pawar rejected the proposition and remarked that he won’t form a coalition with the BJP.
Even as Sharad Pawar claims there is no split, factions within NCP are vying for the party name and symbol
Meanwhile, the conflict between the two leaders has also reached the election commission. Each faction has staked forth a claim to the party moniker “Nationalist Congress Party” and the emblem “clock” with the backing of their respective legislators. However, many feel that it is a fixed match between the duo and Ajit Pawar is only working with the consent of his uncle.
Interestingly, 26 factions of opposition parties who have named their group as I.N.D.I.A. are scheduled to have a meeting in Mumbai on 31 August and Sharad Pawar is one of the senior leaders of the political alliance.
Ajit Pawar and other significant NCP MLAs and leaders including Praful Patel, Chaggan Bhujbal, Hasan Mushrif and Dhananjay Munde among others joined Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party alliance on 2 July which is at present running the government in the state. Notably, over 30 lawmakers sided with the junior Pawar’s move to be a part of the state administration.
