 "A divided Nationalist Congress Party exposes fault lines in Oppn unity")
When the Opposition gathered in Patna on June 23, it had settled alliances in four states — Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Bihar, and Jharkhand. Of these, the alliances in undivided Bihar and Maharashtra worried the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) the most.
In 2019, the BJP and its allies won 92 of Maharashtra, Bihar and Jharkhand’s 102 seats. But four years hence, its former allies, the Janata Dal (United) and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, stood with the Opposition.
On Monday, a day after Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar joined the Eknath Shinde-BJP government as deputy chief minister (CM), along with eight other NCP Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) who were inducted as ministers, the two NCP factions indulged in mutual sackings of party leaders.
Beyond their recriminations, the NCP split has dented the political sway and morale of the Maha Vikas Aghadi in its preparedness for the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly polls more than last year’s split in the Shiv Sena. It has jolted Opposition unity efforts and lowered patriarch Sharad Pawar’s stature among other Opposition parties.
Some in Opposition parties were sceptical of claims that Pawar senior and daughter Supriya Sule had little inkling of what party leaders Ajit Pawar, Praful Patel, and others had planned. But it has also ended the National Democratic Alliance government in Maharashtra’s reliance on the Shinde-led Shiv Sena in case of any disqualification of its legislators.
Pawar senior has resolved to go to the people to rebuild his party. The test will be the parallel meetings of the two factions on July 5, which could be a measure of whether the party rank and file and majority of its legislators are with the 82-year-old patriarch or his 63-year-old nephew.
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Indian politics is replete with party patriarchs, in the evening of their political careers, failing to quell rebellions in their parties, including N T Rama Rao, Mulayam Singh Yadav, and Haryana’s Devi Lal.
On Monday, Sharad Pawar sacked the party's working president Praful Patel and Lok Sabha member of Parliament (MP) Sunil Tatkare, who have sided with Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar in his rebellion, for engaging in “anti-party” activities. Tatkare’s daughter Aditi was among the ministers who took oath on Sunday.
Soon after being removed as NCP working president, Praful Patel on Monday evening announced the appointment of Tatkare as the party’s state unit chief, replacing Jayant Patil and Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar as its legislature wing leader.
Patel, a Rajya Sabha MP who was named NCP working president last month, told a press conference in Mumbai that Ajit Pawar would be the NCP's legislature party leader.
“Today (Monday) is Guru Purnima; we all wish that Sharad Pawar continues to bless us,” said Patel.
Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, who was present at the press meet, said he enjoyed the support of “maximum” NCP legislators and also the party’s election symbol. He said he had given a letter to the Assembly Speaker, seeking the disqualification of party MLAs Jayant Patil and Jitendra Awhad (who belong to a rival group) from the House.
“Whatever we are doing is in the interest of the party. We will strengthen our party further,” Ajit Pawar said.
Asked who was the NCP’s national head, Ajit Pawar shot back, “The party’s national president is Sharad Pawar. Have you forgotten? Law will decide if we have rebelled. Only the Election Commission of India will decide to whom the party belongs.”