New Delhi, Jan 30 (IANS) Pawar politics has been a constant in Maharashtra, with the family patriarch Sharad Chandra Govindrao holding considerable clout and respect even in the power corridors of the national Capital.

Sharad Pawar, as he is popularly known, founded the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) with colleagues who broke out of the Congress.

The party’s origin stems from a leadership dispute within the Congress involving Sonia Gandhi. In May 1999, then senior Congress leaders Sharad Pawar, P. A. Sangma, and Tariq Anwar formally challenged Sonia Gandhi’s right to lead the party and become Prime Minister.

The trio was expelled from the Congress for their public dissent, which led to the formal establishment of NCP in 1999 in New Delhi.

While his two colleagues differed over issues and drifted away, Sharad Pawar anchored the party’s rise to prominence.

The octogenarian Pawar is known for his shrewd, pre-emptive moves that sometimes appear contradictory to laid out norms.

Sangma created a split in the NCP when Pawar was seen backing Sonia Gandhi.

Anwar resigned over the Maratha strongman’s support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Rafale deal controversy.

Sangma, a tall figure in India’s politics who later established the National People’s Party (NPP), died in 2016, and Tariq Anwar is now the Congress representative in Lok Sabha from Bihar’s Katihar constituency.

At 85, despite being in the winter of his life, Sharad Pawar remains the leader for all seasons, bearing a split in NCP in 2023 where his faction lost recognition as the original party.

The rebel group led by his nephew Ajit Pawar – once considered Sharad Pawar’s heir apparent – was granted the official name and symbol.

The other faction had to be registered with the Maratha strongman’s name suffixed to NCP.

It is said that Ajit felt threatened by the rise of his cousin – Sharad Pawar’s daughter, Supriya Sule – in Maratha politics, though she remained a Member of Parliament.

Reports suggest that there were talks of a reunion following the Assembly election result and the recent Maharashtra local body elections where the two factions could not do well despite a seat understanding at some places.

Some insider reports add that there were talks of reconciliation after the 2024 Assembly election where the Ajit faction got 41 seats out of Maharashtra’s total of 288, compared to Mahayuti partners Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) winning 132, and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena’s 57.

The NCP(SP) faced a major setback as it could win only 10 of the 87 seats it contested. And now comes the civic poll setback. In the 2019 polls, the undivided party had won 54 seats.

Now, the tragic end of Ajit Pawar in a plane crash has left a huge question mark on the NCP.

People close to the senior Pawar say that he will not make an immediate move. He is waiting for an outreach to be initiated before reacting, and that, too, after the family is done with all religious events following the passing, they add.

Whether the factions come together or undergo yet another split is yet to be seen. But the family’s political patriarch will hold the cards – now, and in the future – whether he chooses to stay with the Opposition India bloc or joins the ruling coalition.

Pawar play will remain integral in Maharashtra politics, insist NCP insiders.

–IANS

jb/rad