Mumbai: Ajit Pawar may have joined the Mahayuti alliance and become part of the BJP-led government, but the buzz on the ground now indicates that both sides, the BJP as well as the NCP, are extremely uncomfortable with this alliance. The bone of contention seems to be the key seats in many districts of western Maharashtra where the BJP and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena want to establish themselves.
Ajit Pawar feels that it is his territory and he should be left alone there. Though Ajit Pawar did hold a meeting with Union minister Amit Shah before Shah left for New Delhi, it is unclear how much long-term impact it will make on the ground in western Maharashtra.
On Tuesday a bitter clash was seen among activists from both sides when a hoarding put up for a public event with some BJP leader’s faces were removed by Ajit Pawar supporters just on the outskirts of Baramati town.
Last week at several places in Pune district, huge hoardings were put up by the BJP to claim credit for the Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana which had Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Fandnavis’ faces; Deputy CM Ajit Pawar’s face was conspicuously missing from them.
He was also missing from most of the public events of Union Home minister Amit Shah in Mumbai over the weekend. It has become clear that there is a bitter fight to claim the political space in western Maharashtra between Ajit Pawar’s supporters, who have been rivals in institutions such as sugar cooperatives and milk cooperatives for decades.
“We have to decide whether we want to be in an alliance or not. Once that is decided no minister or leader should be seen making negative comments about the NCP. The BJP should once and for all decide if they want the NCP to be with them, otherwise we also have options,” NCP MLA Amol Mitkari told the media after last year one of the ministers belonging to Shiv Sena made comments about Ajit Pawar.
A leader close to Ajit Pawar said that Pawar believes that the BJP did not put enough effort in Baramati constituency to ensure that his wife Sunetra Pawar wins the seat in the recent Lok Sabha polls. Sharad Pawar’s NCP fielded Supriya Sule, who won with a margin of over one-and-a-half lakh votes in Baramati. A margin that was much bigger than Supriya got against BJP candidate Kanchan Kul in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
“If the BJP had come out in large numbers not just in Baramati even Shirur seat could have been captured but we did not get that cooperation,” the leader said. Indapur, Daund, Shirur and Maval tehsils are crucial for Pawar’s political survival and many say the BJP in the last one decade has overworked to capture these pockets and cultivated their young leaders and probable candidates in these tehsils.
Now the BJP feels they cannot let go of the opportunity in these politically vibrant areas. Ajit Pawar's statement on Sunday that he feels like not contesting from Baramati may have come because of this situation. Observers feel one of the crucial reasons why the BJP is stepping up the pressure against Ajit Pawar is because they can see that taking him along has not really yielded desired results.
