Baramati, Jan 29 (IANS) Following the untimely death of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP chief Ajit Pawar, a debate has emerged regarding the party’s future and who will lead it.

Party insiders are also internally discussing whether the BJP will retain the Deputy CM’s post from the NCP and who will succeed Ajit Pawar.

Historically, regional parties in India have been dominated by specific families. In Maharashtra, both the Shiv Sena and the NCP have kept power within their respective family circles. Since the NCP’s inception in 1999, Ajit Pawar remained a confidant of his mentor, Sharad Pawar. However, while Ajit Pawar had been active in politics since 1991, Supriya Sule entered Parliament in 2006. The tension over who would be Sharad Pawar’s political heir ultimately led to Ajit Pawar’s rebellion and the formation of a separate faction in June 2023. Despite senior leaders like Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare, and Chhagan Bhujbal, it is widely believed that Ajit Pawar’s son, Parth Pawar, was managing party affairs behind the scenes.

Furthermore, during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Ajit Pawar fielded his wife, Sunetra Pawar, from Baramati despite advice from the BJP leadership against it. Following her defeat, he secured her a Rajya Sabha seat, drawing criticism for promoting “dynasty politics” within his own breakaway group.

Questions are now being raised about the party’s roadmap. While there are rumours that Sunetra Pawar could be appointed as the interim president, political analysts remain sceptical. Neither Sunetra nor her sons, Parth and Jay Pawar, possess significant organisational or administrative experience.

Observers suggest that leaders who joined Ajit Pawar to be part of the ruling government are unlikely to return to Sharad Pawar’s fold, especially if it means sitting in the opposition. Furthermore, the leadership of Supriya Sule is reportedly not acceptable to the veterans of the Ajit Pawar camp. With leaders like Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare having limited pan-state influence, a leadership vacuum appears inevitable.

The BJP, which is heading the Mahayuti government, is expected to play a decisive role in this unfolding crisis.

If the weakening of a regional party allows the BJP to expand its own footprint in Maharashtra, the ruling party will likely encourage NCP heavyweights — such as Chhagan Bhujbal and Dhananjay Munde — to join its ranks. Unlike the situation with the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction), which the BJP supports to counter Uddhav Thackeray, the BJP may not feel the need to keep the NCP faction alive as a separate entity.

As the Sharad Pawar group struggles to regain its footing following losses in municipal elections, the BJP is likely to script a strategy that ensures the NCP’s base is absorbed or neutralised, similar to how it navigated the leadership vacuum in Tamil Nadu’s AIADMK following the passing of Jayalalithaa.

(Sanjay Jog can be contacted at sanjay.j@ians.in)

–IANS

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