New Delhi: Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar died after his plane crashed in Baramati, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) confirmed. His wife Sunetra Pawar and his sister Supriya Sule are reportedly heading to Baramati. Pawar’s untimely death is likely to cause a major shakeup in the politics of Maharashtra, especially his party Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
What now for NCP?
Only recently, NCP leader Sunil Tatkare had said that his party may hold merger talks with NCP (SP) but will remain with the NDA in the state. Ajit Pawar had also indicated that the two factions will form an alliance “wherever possible”. In a similar instance last week, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut had also expressed hope that Ajit Pawar will merge his faction with Sharad Pawar. Such are the vagaries of Maharashtrian politics, where alliances form and crumble, and Ajit Pawar’s own party and politics was no stranger to this.
Now the untimely death of Ajit Pawar is certain to upend the political equations in the state. Several MLAs, MPs and MLCs who chose to back his rebellion and shift to his camp now face an uncertain future in the absence of their central figurehead. Will legislators stay together, seek a new leader or attempt a return to the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) are just some of the questions that would be asked soon.
The most immediate challenge would be leadership succession in his own party, one he had created after splitting from his own uncle Sharad Pawar. Senior leaders like Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare or Chhagan Bhujbal could step in, but none possess Ajit Pawar’s authority or mass influence. There is also the possibility of his family playing a role, with Sunetra Pawar or his son Parth Pawar looking to be likely figures that could rise up and lead the party.
A weak party post-Ajit Pawar has many chances of triggering internal fragmentation, and MLAs and MPs can drift either towards the Sharad Pawar-led NCP or the BJP.
Another option is that the whole faction of the NCP could look for a merger with Sharad Pawar’s NCP, especially as there had already been signs of thaw and joint political activity recently. Notably, the coming together of the two NCP factions for the Maharashtra civic polls triggered speculations of a possible merger between the uncle and nephew.
The party could also deepen its alignment with the BJP-led NDA, effectively functioning as a junior ally for the larger coalition. It could also attempt a standalone reset, rebranding and reorganising on the image of Ajit Pawar and his public popularity led by members of his family and other top leaders of the party, along with the elected representative not going to other factions or parties and creating a renewed united front within.