top of page

By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 11:29:11 am

From Tears to Tussle

Inside the ruthless succession war for the soul of the NCP Mumbai: In a significant revelation that sheds light on the internal fractures of Maharashtra’s most prominent political dynasty, a senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader has disclosed that a merger between the two rival factions was nearly finalised following the tragic death of Ajit Pawar, only to be derailed by a bitter battle for leadership. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the leader revealed that while the state...

From Tears to Tussle

Inside the ruthless succession war for the soul of the NCP Mumbai: In a significant revelation that sheds light on the internal fractures of Maharashtra’s most prominent political dynasty, a senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader has disclosed that a merger between the two rival factions was nearly finalised following the tragic death of Ajit Pawar, only to be derailed by a bitter battle for leadership. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the leader revealed that while the state mourned the loss of the Deputy Chief Minister in a plane crash two months ago, a high-stakes power struggle was unfolding behind the scenes, ultimately leading to the “hasty” swearing-in of Sunetra Pawar as his successor. The senior leader’s comments come at a time when the Pawar family and NCP workers have been sharing deeply emotional tributes to mark two months since the January 28 disaster. However, beneath the public display of grief lies a complex story of shifting allegiances. According to the leader, the period immediately following the crash was “extremely fluid”. At the time, Ajit Pawar’s sudden absence had created a vacuum that many believed would naturally be filled by the senior leadership of the NCP-SP faction, including Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule. “Indeed, there were talks of a merger, and Dada (Ajit Pawar) himself had been involved in those negotiations before the accident,” the leader remarked. However, the dynamics changed rapidly when the Ajit Pawar faction realized that their identity and future could be swallowed whole if they did not act quickly to secure their own leadership. This realization reportedly led to the decision to install Sunetra Pawar as the Deputy Chief Minister just three days after the tragedy. Immediate Stability The move was intended to provide immediate stability and ensure that the leadership remained within Ajit Pawar’s immediate family. A particularly poignant detail revealed by the senior leader was the absence of the Sharad Pawar family at Sunetra Pawar’s swearing-in ceremony at Lok Bhavan on January 31. Despite the best efforts of Ajit’s elder son, Parth Pawar, who was reportedly seen “pursuing and trying to convince” his relatives to attend as a show of family unity, Sharad Pawar, Supriya Sule, and Rohit Pawar remained conspicuous by their absence. “That was very unfortunate and came as a shock to many of us who have spent decades with the family,” the leader stated, adding that this absence signaled the end of the brief window for an easy merger. This political friction stands in stark contrast to the heart-wrenching scenes witnessed during the last rites in Baramati. At the funeral, Supriya Sule was seen breaking down in uncontrollable tears, holding Sunetra Pawar’s hand in a display of what many thought was a permanent reconciliation. Rohit Pawar had also shared a viral social media post expressing his inability to even use the prefix “late” for his uncle, stating that he lacked the courage to see Ajit Pawar’s name written that way and that “Dada” would always live on through his work. However, as the senior leader noted, the narrative shifted dramatically once the Sharad Pawar faction realized that the leadership of the NCP would not be handed to them on a platter. What began as talk of family unity and political merger soon pivoted to a darker narrative. Rohit Pawar recently filed a “Zero FIR” in Bengaluru, alleging a “larger criminal conspiracy” behind the plane crash, citing technical lapses and suspicious flight data. This move is seen by many in the NCP as a strategic shift to delegitimize the current leadership and keep the pressure on the Mahayuti government. Undisputed Leader For now, the senior leader remains firm: Sunetra Pawar is the undisputed leader of the NCP, and any future talks of a merger must be conducted on her terms. “If anyone seeks a merger now, they will have to talk to her. She is our leader, and she will take the final call,” the leader concluded, indicating that while the doors for dialogue are not entirely closed, the “natural” transition the other faction expected has been firmly blocked by the rise of Maharashtra’s first woman Deputy Chief Minister. Moving tribute to Ajit Pawar On Saturday, marking exactly two months since the tragic passing of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash, his family members shared moving tributes reflecting on his legacy and the void left by his absence. Sunetra Pawar, who recently stepped into the role of Deputy Chief Minister to carry forward her husband’s work, shared a deeply emotional message on social media. She expressed that while two months have passed, the pain of the loss remains as fresh as the day of the accident. Describing Ajit Pawar as her constant “guiding beacon,” she noted that the passage of time has not diminished his presence in her thoughts. She reaffirmed her solemn commitment to fulfilling his unfulfilled dreams for the development of Maharashtra, particularly for farmers and the youth, while drawing strength from his disciplined and dedicated style of functioning to navigate her new responsibilities. NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule paid tribute to her “Dada” by emphasising the need for truth and justice. In her reflections, she described him as a pillar of the family whose sudden departure has left everyone devastated. Beyond the personal grief, she utilized the occasion to raise significant concerns in Parliament regarding the transparency of the ongoing investigation into the Baramati plane crash. She asserted that the most fitting tribute to a leader of his stature would be a time-bound and thorough inquiry into the circumstances of the accident. Her tribute balanced the sorrow of a sister with a firm demand for accountability to ensure such a tragedy never recurs. Rohit Pawar’s tribute was characterised by a mix of profound grief and a fierce determination to seek answers. He recalled the personal guidance he received from his uncle, reminiscing about small yet significant moments and the weight of his “authoritative voice” that once commanded the state’s administration. On this two-month mark, he remained vocal about his suspicions surrounding the technical safety of the aircraft, describing the loss as an “irreparable blow” to the state’s political landscape. He vowed to keep his uncle’s memory alive not just through words, but by relentlessly pursuing the “Zero FIR” investigation to ensure that the facts behind the crash are brought to light.

Seeking Urban Validation

The ruling Congress faces an acid test in the high-stakes Telangana civic polls.

Telangana
Telangana

While the noise in Telangana’s urban local body elections has subsided and the people have cast their votes, the stakes have only sharpened further. The fate of 3,000 municipal seats across 116 towns and seven corporations will be decided. On February 13. This time, the Telangana civic poll contest, like that of Maharashtra, is about political momentum in a state still adjusting to the upheavals of 2023.


For the ruling Congress, the vote is an early verdict on its two-year-old government in the State. It is also a test of whether the party’s dramatic rural comeback can be replicated in cities. Telangana’s political geography is lopsided: of its 119 assembly seats, 80 are rural. It was there that the Congress staged its revival in 2023, reducing the once-dominant Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) to just 19 rural seats from 62 five years earlier. Yet the cities told a different story. In Hyderabad, the BRS retained its urban heft while the Congress failed to win a single assembly seat.


That imbalance haunts the Congress now. Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has framed the civic polls as a referendum on welfare schemes and administrative rectitude, repeatedly accusing the previous BRS regime of having “looted” the state. He has also sought to reassure minorities by committing to protect the 4 percent reservation for OBC Muslims. But the subtext is clearer than the slogans: unless the Congress can break into urban Telangana, its grip on power will remain structurally fragile. Party insiders privately acknowledge that a strong showing is essential ahead of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation elections, which loom later this year.


For the BRS, these polls are existential. The party that once dominated Telangana politics is still struggling to recalibrate after its 2023 defeat. Its patriarch, K. Chandrashekar Rao, has retreated from the public gaze, depriving the party of its most formidable campaigner. The burden has fallen on his son and heir, K. T. Rama Rao (KTR), whose aggressive tone marks a departure from his earlier technocratic image. The civic polls will test whether he can convert visibility into authority.


Complicating matters are the party’s internal fissures. The defection last year of KCR’s daughter, K. Kavitha, who has since accused the leadership of illicit enrichment, has dented the party’s aura of cohesion, even if she has stopped short of forming a rival outfit. Still, writing off the BRS would be premature. Unlike during its decade in power, when the Congress often appeared comatose, BRS leaders have been conspicuously active on the ground, probing administrative lapses and amplifying urban discontent.


The Bharatiya Janata Party, meanwhile, sees opportunity in the turbulence. Having won eight of Telangana’s 17 parliamentary seats in 2024 (mostly in urban constituencies) it hopes to translate its national gains into municipal footholds. Its campaign has leaned heavily on Hindutva, with senior leaders alleging that Hindus were being taken for granted under Congress rule. Yet the BJP’s ambitions are constrained. Its NDA ally, the Jana Sena Party, has fielded hundreds of candidates, muddying arithmetic and message alike. Even so, party strategists calculate that a fragmented opposition and latent anti-incumbency could expand their modest municipal presence.


Hovering at the margins, yet indispensable in Hyderabad, is the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen. Asaduddin Owaisi’s party has avoided confrontation with the Congress, speaking instead of the need for independent Muslim leadership and hinting at post-poll arrangements. In a fractured verdict, its councillors could once again play kingmaker.


A Congress surge in the results would validate its rural mandate in the Assembly polls in the urban areas as well. A BRS revival would signal that the party still has clout in the cities it built its power on. BJP gains would confirm Telangana as an emerging three-cornered contest rather than a bipolar one.


Either way, the intense campaigning for the Telangana civic polls prove that they are nothing short of a dress rehearsal for the state’s political future.

Comments

bottom of page