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HomeOpinionNewsmaker of the WeekIn Sharad Pawar resignation drama, a Bal Thackeray shadow from the ’90s

In Sharad Pawar resignation drama, a Bal Thackeray shadow from the ’90s

Like with Bal Thackeray’s 1992 resignation, Pawar’s resignation too brought out the raw loyalty that party workers have towards him.

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Every now and then, there are talks of a rift within the Nationalist Congress Party, between two Pawars — uncle and nephew. Questions are raised over whether the party can accommodate the political ambitions of the latter.

And every time this conflict raises its head even slightly, there’s much analysis on how and when party supremo Sharad Pawar is going to settle the issue of his succession. The NCP has multiple aspirants, but Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule and nephew Ajit Pawar are main contenders.

On 2 May, octogenarian Pawar seemingly gave his answer to all such political critics when he decided to step down as NCP chief and appointed a committee of senior party leaders and key functionaries to decide on who will take over the party’s reins. Sharad Pawar’s decision to step down as party chief is not just an internal party matter. It has many potential ramifications for the politics of the state as well as the country. And that is why Pawar is ThePrint’s Newsmaker of the Week.


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Interpreting the resignation

On 2 May, along with his decision to step down as the party president, the 82-year-old leader also said he will not contest any election after his current term ends in three years.

There are multiple theories on why Sharad Pawar may have decided to spring this surprise on his party leaders.

Senior Pawar’s decision comes at a time when there was thick speculation of some MLAs following nephew Ajit Pawar’s lead to split the NCP and join hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Ajit Pawar though has refuted these talks. NCP leaders are said to be under immense pressure from central agency probes into their businesses and assets.

Sharad Pawar’s move, which has prompted the entire party to rally behind him, could have been to consolidate his grip over the party, just the way Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray had done in 1992 after the revolt by Chhagan Bhujbal, who is now with the NCP. Thackeray too had taken his decision back, citing the sentiments of his party’s entire cadre. On Friday, Sharad Pawar did the same. Like with Thackeray, Sharad Pawar’s resignation brought out the raw loyalty that party workers have towards him. Any MLA leaving the NCP in this atmosphere will only help the NCP and Pawar gain more sympathy.

Another theory is that by starting talks of his succession while he is still active in politics and holds the strings to everything that plays out in the NCP, Sharad Pawar has saved his party from self-combusting with confusion and conflicts in a post-Pawar era.

On Friday, even as Sharad Pawar decided to continue as NCP president, he said his emphasis would be to create fresh leadership for the party.

Senior Pawar said his nephew Ajit Pawar, said to be among the chief claimants to his uncle’s legacy, was aware of the NCP supremo’s plan. He said that’s why the Baramati MLA strongly supported him at a time when everyone in the party was appealing Sharad Pawar to reconsider his decision to quit the president’s post. He also said that his daughter Supriya’s name was informally proposed as national president, but she herself dismissed the idea. Like Ajit Pawar, in all these years, Sule has always been talked about as a power centre within the party that could one day take charge of the party’s reins.


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The repercussions of the resignation that was 

Sharad Pawar’s resignation had put a question on the future of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), an unusual three-party alliance that the NCP president, known to be a master of coalitions, had orchestrated in 2019 when the Maharashtra state polls threw up a hung assembly. The MVA comprises the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), NCP and the Congress.

MVA leaders were cautious in their response to Pawar’s resignation, publicly saying the event will not have any impact on the coalition’s unity.

However, the entire episode of Sharad Pawar first resigning and then taking his resignation back has only helped the MVA. The NCP supremo has assured that his entire party is now aligned under him, and committed to the direction he decides to steer it in. For the moment at least, this direction is to fight the 2024 Lok Sabha and state assembly polls with the MVA jointly to consolidate power against the BJP.

When he announced to continue as NCP chief Friday, Pawar reiterated this commitment to the MVA.

The MVA’s future and success also has an impact on national politics at a time when many regional parties are finding themselves marginalised in the face of an aggressively expanding BJP. And Sharad Pawar’s role in trying to bring all such regional parties on the same table as the Congress has always been seen as an important rallying point, though he has not always been successful at it, if the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections are any indication.

Sharad Pawar has always fluidly maintained excellent relations with politicians across party lines, making him a rare interlocutor for Opposition unity—something that’s key for 2024.

(Edited by Anurag Chaubey)

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