Months of political intrigue came to a dramatic end, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar is shattered From his uncle and NCP mentor Sharad Pawar, are finally going to join hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Maharashtra. Junior Pawar sworn in as second deputy chief minister Council of Ministers headed by Eknath ShindeBut this is hardly the final act in the ongoing drama in state politics. Mr Shinde had hatched a similar script last year to break away from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and replace him as chief minister. Disqualification petition against him under Maharashtra Speaker to decide anytime on anti-defection law, and in case the top post is vacant, Pawar Jr. can fill it. Due to the slowdown in NCP, many leaders are between uncle and nephew. The patriarch has vowed to give a tough challenge to defectors and rebuild the NCP with popular support, but at the age of 82, it will be a test of his mettle. The breakaway group claimed that it had the blessings of everyone in the party, indicating a tacit agreement with the party founder. It is a game of smoke and mirrors in which it is not easy to separate reality from perception.
By embracing NCP defectors, the BJP has pulled off another feat in the state. The BJP has accused the NCP and its leaders of promoting dynasty and corruption. Many of those who have joined the BJP are facing various investigations. Stunned by an alliance with its longtime ally, the Shiv Sena, after the 2019 assembly elections, the BJP found an easy partner in Ajit Pawar, who was deputy chief minister in the short-lived government led by BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis. In the Congress-Shiv Sena-NCP government that followed, Pawar Jr again became the Deputy Chief Minister. By assuming the office of Deputy Chief Minister under the third political configuration within the same assembly, he has demonstrated limitless possibilities of opportunism. The new ministers who took oath with him on Sunday represent various social groups in the state. The NCP’s mother faction has initiated disqualification proceedings against the legislators of the breakaway group, which in turn is seeking disqualification from the Assembly of two MLAs loyal to senior Pawar, Jayant Patil and Jitendra Awhad. The disintegration of the NCP, of which Pawar has been a senior supporter, is affecting opposition unity at the national level. It also reflects the endless schemes in the BJP’s strategy to retain power, and adds fresh tension to the existing alliance between the Shinde faction of the BJP and the Sena.