Focus on Yugendra; Rohit busy in proving Pawar credentials

Mumbai: In February 2024, when Rohit Pawar was summoned by the Enforcement Directorate for questioning in a money laundering probe concerning the alleged Maharashtra Cooperative Bank scam, the young NCP (SP) leader was accompanied by his wife Kunti and his cousin Revati Sule, who is Sharad Pawar’s granddaughter. The senior Pawar’s wife Pratibha was also around, sitting in the party office near the ED headquarters in Mumbai’s Ballard Estate. The family’s public support was a message to political allies and opponents—that Rohit has the favour and backing of his great uncle.

Pawar senior has never shied from expressing support for Rohit. He acknowledged his efforts in undertaking the Yuva Sangharsh Yatra and more recently, hinted at a “big role” for Rohit after these elections. The statement could be a ploy to consolidate votes in his favour in Karjat-Jamkhed but it also reflects his great uncle's inclination towards grooming him for big roles in the party.

When Ajit split the NCP and walked away with legislators, Rohit stood firm with Pawar and aunt Supriya Sule, vowing to work with them to build the party again. Ajit’s departure, party insiders point out, was a blessing for Rohit. There was a void in the leadership for politics in the state which Rohit could fill. Sule was focussed on Delhi and Parliament. Rohit jumped in to shoulder new responsibilities. He travelled across Baramati campaigning for his aunt, addressing multiple public meetings, garnering support and overseeing the backend electioneering work. A press conference with Pawar seated next to him was another recent reminder of his growing stature within the party.

His fast-increasing role within the party is evident in how he is campaigning across the state, leaving his own constituency for party workers, his team and his mother and wife to handle. His mother Sunanda Pawar has been a familiar and well-respected face in Karjat-Jamkhed. She works with women, offering training and employment, sanitation and even joined a clean-up movement in 2020. Wife Kunti undertakes social obligations and visits on his behalf. The Pawar family’s presence is in-tact while he’s campaigning outside.

Over the past one year, Rohit has been doing the groundwork for his party’s spread and strengthening. Before Sharad Pawar holds a public rally, Rohit is the one who travels there, works with local party workers and holds multiple smaller meetings. He is seen as the emissary who carries his great uncle's message. Party workers recall how during an NCP(SP) meeting in Beed last year, Jayant Patil had to defer his speech because the crowd chanted Rohit’s name.

At 39, Rohit is a few years older than his cousin Yugendra who is making his electoral debut now. Be it on social media or on Baramati’s roads, Rohit is seen supporting Yugendra. He uses his wide social media presence to showcase his cousin. “The next generation of the Pawars are ready to take the legacy ahead. The way Rohit has been assigned the responsibility of campaigning for party candidates and hand holding Yugendra shows Pawar senior’s faith in him. He is being groomed for a big role,” says a party member. “He is ambitious and is shrewd to try and gain some of the ground left vacant by Ajit Pawar and a few other party leaders,” says a person from Karjat.

It works well for both, Rohit gets a chance to establish his influence in the party and for the NCP (SP), there is a new leadership being groomed. Recent developments in his constituency such as the departure of his close team members, threaten to cause Rohit some discomfort. But Rohit’s ace is that he has his great uncle's unwavering support.