Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s absence from campaigning during the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha election has triggered speculation about a potential rift within the party. Mr. Pawar, who actively canvassed in the third phase and minimally participated in the fourth, has remained conspicuously absent from campaigning for his allies – the BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena — in the last phase, which includes 14 Lok Sabha seats in Mumbai city and Thane. The NCP leader even skipped Prime Minister Modi’s roadshow in Ghatkopar on May 15, fueling rumors of Mr. Pawar being allegedly upset over the distribution of seats, with the NCP being given only four Lok Sabha seats to contest. However, his aides attributed his absence since May 11 to the NCP leader being ‘unwell’ and ‘suffering from a bad throat’. While Mr. Pawar finally made an appearance during Mr. Modi’s mega-rally on Friday evening at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park, fresh speculation surfaced earlier in the day that his faction leader Sunil Tatkare had met Mr. Pawar’s uncle, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar in a Nashik hotel. While Mr. Tatkare denied this, NCP (SP) leader and ex-Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh declared that his party would not accept the rebels back, even if they were in communication with Pawar senior. “I heard from our partymen that Sunil Tatkare reportedly met Sharad Pawar… but even if they [leaders from Ajit Pawar’s faction] are in touch with us, we will not take them back into the party. Sharad Pawar saaheb has made this clear from the very beginning,” Mr. Deshmukh said. Earlier, rumors of Mr. Tatkare meeting Pawar senior were preceded by eyebrow-raising remarks made by Chhagan Bhujbal, a senior leader of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP. Mr. Bhujbal observed that the electorate in the State appeared to empathize with Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Mr. Pawar in this election. These remarks are significant as they come amid reports that Mr. Bhujbal is ‘disgruntled’ with his Mahayuti allies over the candidature for the Nashik Lok Sabha seat, which witnessed strife between the three ruling partners before sitting MP Hemant Godse of the Mr. Shinde-led Shiv Sena was nominated for the third time. However, BJP leader Girish Mahajan, who had met Mr. Bhujbal in Nashik earlier in the day, refuted suggestions that the NCP leader was ‘upset’. Responding to Mr. Dehsmukh’s comments about Mr. Tatkare meeting Mr. Pawar, Mr. Bhujbal stated: “Several leaders of the NCP (SP) are in fact in touch with us, and not the other way round… As for Sunil Tatkare, he has been in Nashik for the last two days and has been meeting all MLAs there. He himself told me he has not been in touch with anyone from the rival NCP camp.” In the past, instances of Mr. Ajit being ‘unreachable’ or having ‘fallen sick’ have signaled the possibility of a political shift, prompting analysts to debate his true motivations behind these reported illnesses. Political analyst Vivek Bhavsar suggested that the demeanor of the rebel NCP leaders, including Mr. Pawar, indicated that the rival faction may be gaining an advantage in the critical Baramati and Shirur seats (both in Pune district) in this election. Mr. Pawar has invested heavily in Baramati, where his wife Sunetra Pawar (as the Mahayuti’s candidate) is pitted against his cousin Supriya Sule (MVA’s candidate), the incumbent MP and Mr. Pawar’s daughter. “Ajit Pawar and the Mahayuti’s strategy was to keep Sharad Pawar occupied in his Baramati campaign. However, the opposite has occurred. It is Ajit who has become bogged down in Baramati, while his 83-year-old uncle has been actively campaigning across western Maharashtra and other parts of the State, not just in Baramati,” Mr. Bhavsar explained.
NCP in Turmoil as Ajit Pawar Skips Campaigning in Final Phase of Lok Sabha Election
