Sharad Pawar Steps Down As NCP Chief, Future Of Party Uncertain Amid Rift

All eyes are now trained on the new leader who will take over the reins of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) following the resignation of Sharad Pawar as the party president.

Though the party men were bracing themselves for an announcement by the NCP patriarch, his decision to step down caught them unawares. Following the announcement, senior NCP leaders including Ajit Pawar —nephew and the leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly— met Pawar and urged him to rethink his decision. Few hours later, Ajit told the media that his uncle will rethink the decision in two to three days. 

According to sources, Pawar’s move is a clear indication that there is a rift in the NCP. 

“Ajit Pawar’s disgruntlement is clear now. This is not the way to resign. There has to be a succession plan in place. By this abrupt move, Sharad Pawar is himself creating a disruption in the party. He has failed to rein in his nephew. Some leadership freedom must be given to Ajit Pawar. He is a capable leader but he has been completely marginalised in Sharad Pawar’s promotion of his daughter as a national leader. Besides Sharad Pawar has to resign some time,” says the source. 

The source further says, “The NCP is in a mess and the leadership is in a turmoil. Those who are close to Sharad Pawar know that their political careers will be finished if Ajit takes over the reins of the NCP. Sharad Pawar knows that Ajit is headstrong and cannot be controlled any more. The disgruntlement in the NCP is now spilling out. The NCP is looking at a split.”

According to party sources, the loss of NCP’s status as a national party has been a sore point with the patriarch who has aggressively attempted to ensure that the party is not overlooked by the voters in future elections. 

Recently, the NCP also lost the elections of the Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMC) across various districts which had been its stronghold. Despite the party strongholds in the cooperative sector, the NCP has not seen penetration into newer voting sections.

Political analysts point out that the Pawars —both uncle and nephew— are weighed down by a severe credibility crisis, thereby affecting the NCP’s push to enter newer areas. 

Pawar’s announcement comes close on the heels of recent political happenings involving Ajit, who according to the political buzz, has been hobnobbing with Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Sources say that the covert power struggle in the Pawar clan can also be the reason for the decision to step down as party chief.   

Tuesday also saw the release of his autobiography Lok Maze Sangatee (Part-II), where he talks extensively about the plans of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to finish off Shiv Sena in Maharashtra.  

In the case of the Pawar clan, their political rivalries within the family though intense have largely been beneath the surface. Like the Ajit Pawar-Supriya Sule rivalry, the fourth generation of the clan, cousins Rohit and Parth Pawar, too are caught up in establishing a hold in the second rung space of the NCP. Beneath the appearance of towing the line of the family patriarch and the layers of warmth is a hardening layer of ambition pushing its way up to the top. 

Parth, the son of Ajit Pawar, is Sharad Pawar’s grand-nephew just like Rohit Pawar, an incumbent MLA. Sources say that Ajit Pawar’s anger stems from his frustration of being manipulated by his uncle. Like an ‘unguided missile’, he has kept his options with the BJP, particularly with Fadnavis, open. 

Unlike other political parties, the NCP has a strong second rung leadership. These second rung of leaders have been groomed and mentored by Sharad Pawar and are waiting quietly for their turn to lead. With talks of succession gaining ground within the NCP and Supriya Sule’s elevated leadership status, Ajit Pawar’s frustration has become more compounded. In the eventuality of Sule being anointed as the political successor of her father, then the BJP-leaning Ajit will not give up without a fight. 

The fact that nearly 40 of NCP’s 53 MLAs support Ajit Pawar makes it a tough case for Sule to lead the party. Since its formation, the NCP has not been able to form a government on its own in Maharashtra. It has always taken a piggyback ride to be in power — first with the Congress Party and later with the Shiv Sena-Congress in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition.

“Pawar Saheb’s decision to rethink his announcement may be good for the NCP. Otherwise, the power struggle will divide the party like what took place in the Shiv Sena,” says a senior NCP leader.