Sharad Pawar, a powerful leader known as Chanakya of Indian politics, has surprised everyone by saying that now he will not contest any election. He is the pioneer of parliamentary politics in India and has been winning elections continuously since 1967. In every crisis he becomes a trouble-shooter. Understands the flow of time and change very well. They also play the emotional card and sometimes draw a hard line which is difficult to cross.
While campaigning in favor of grandson (nephew’s son) Yugendra Pawar in Baramati assembly seat in Maharashtra, he announced his retirement from electoral politics on Tuesday. However, before this he also praised the work of NCP candidate Ajit Pawar. It is known that Ajit Pawar is also his nephew, but last year he got angry and broke the party and took most of the MLAs with him.
Didn’t say a word against Ajit
But this is the specialty of the elderly politician Sharad Bhau, that he did not say a single word against his nephew Ajit in his speech but showed through his gestures that now he is with Yugendra. To make Yugendra win, he also made an emotional move of not contesting the elections in the future. Baramati is the family seat of Sharad Pawar. He represented this seat for thirty years. After this, his nephew Ajit continued to be elected MLA from there.
In between, when his daughter Supriya Sule started taking over the political responsibilities of Sharad Pawar, nephew Ajit Pawar felt that he should not expect much now. Therefore, even before breaking the NCP in 2023, Ajit tried once or twice to leave Sharad’s camp but failed. Either he could not gather more MLAs or he was afraid of defeat.
Sharad also kept giving shocks
In July 2023, Ajit Pawar came to the BJP camp along with NCP MLAs. He got the post of Deputy Chief Minister in the Eknath Shinde government of Maharashtra. His rebellion against his uncle was a shock for Sharad Pawar. Ajit Pawar took so many MLAs with him that Sharad Pawar himself lost the leadership of his party. The NCP that came in their favor was named NCP-SP. But Sharad Pawar’s own politics had always been like this. No one could predict when and whom he would shock. Due to his art, he always remained in news not only in Maharashtra but in the entire country. Whenever coalition governments were formed without the active role of Sharad Pawar, clouds of crisis used to loom over those governments. Sharad Pawar used to find the solution to every crisis.
It is no longer easy for Ajit to win Baramati
If such a veteran politician goes to his stronghold and announces his retirement from electoral politics, then it will definitely be a card that will be difficult to cut. The interesting thing is that he did not condemn the nephew who cheated him in Baramati, on the contrary he praised his work. Sharad Pawar’s disciples are criticizing Ajit Pawar. He just indicated that now new people should get a chance.
Ajit Pawar is the son of his elder brother and Yugendra Pawar, who is fighting from his party NCP-SP, is the grandson of another brother. The signal was clear that now win over the third generation and not the second, only then some work will be done. This emotional speech of his will definitely be a shock for Ajit Pawar. That means, what Ajit had done in July last year, he got the same thing two weeks before the voting. It is no longer easy for Ajit Pawar to cross the flood waters of Baramati.
love for children in politics
Many political parties have been shocked by filial piety in Maharashtra politics. The first rebellion in Shiv Sena occurred when its founder Bal Thackeray chose his son Uddhav Thackeray as his successor and forgot his nephew Raj Thackeray. Whereas earlier this nephew had always been fighting shoulder to shoulder. Same situation happened with Sharad Pawar’s NCP.
He left his nephew Ajit Pawar behind in his daughter’s love. All the chapters of politics are full of love for children of kings like Dhritarashtra. Even though there are sayings about nepotism in politics, the pages of reality are full of filial piety. The politics of all the leaders has got a blow due to this love for children. There was a time when Sharad Pawar campaigned against his own elder brother out of loyalty to the Congress Party.
Sharad Pawar had deceived Congress
It should be kept in mind that this same Sharad Pawar had broken the Congress and formed a separate party NCP with his supporters. Along with PA Sangma and Tariq Anwar, he left Congress in 1999 because they were against making Sonia Gandhi the Prime Minister because she was of foreign origin. His insistence was that someone else should be given the post of Prime Minister instead of Sonia Gandhi.
In the 1999 elections, there was no huge difference between the seats of the BJP-led NDA and the Congress alliance. But these three leaders wanted that a person of Indian origin should be made the Prime Minister. That is why all three of them left the Congress party. However, in 2004, NCP supported the Congress-led UPA and Sharad Pawar was made the Agriculture Minister in the Manmohan Singh government.
Retirement from elections or politics, it is not clear
Sharad Pawar, who was the Chief Minister of Maharashtra four times and Union Minister twice, has always been a frontline player in politics. He handled the defense and agriculture ministries at the Centre. Joined Congress in 1960 and was elected MLA from Baramati in 1967. After this Sharad Pawar never looked back. Till 1990, he continued winning from this assembly seat. Among the Maratha satraps in Maharashtra, his number comes after Chavan and Basant Rao Naik.
The speech given on Tuesday by this 84-year-old Maratha Satrap, who started politics from the cooperative union in Maharashtra, was like an emotional appeal to the voters. It seemed as if he was saying just let his grandson win on his request for the last time. Although he did not clarify whether he would leave politics or just contest the elections.
Sharad Pawar looked weak for the first time
It is known that at present Sharad Pawar is in Rajya Sabha. His daughter Supriya Sule has been elected from Baramati Lok Sabha seat. Supriya has been elected from this seat continuously since 2009. Before that his father was in the Lok Sabha from this seat. His nephew Ajit Pawar is MLA from Baramati assembly seat. Till July 2023, he was close to uncle Sharad Pawar. In a way, this seat is the Pawar family’s own family seat.
It is said that whoever Sharad Pawar wants to field from this seat will definitely win. But this time such an emotional appeal indicates that for the first time this Maratha Satrap is feeling weak in his own traditional seat. Because this time his opponent is none other than his nephew. However, any seat won from here will remain with the Pawar family only!
