Mumbai: Whenever there’s any talk about the future of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) after party supremo Sharad Pawar, there’s always a mention of two clear power centres and their coteries. These are Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule and his nephew Ajit Pawar.
However, over the past five years, gradually, a third power centre has emerged within the party — NCP Maharashtra president Jayant Patil.
Political analysts and party functionaries agree that over the years, Patil has created a strong base for himself within the party through his state-wide tours. Patil’s clout has grown phenomenally since he became party president.
Multiple NCP leaders whom ThePrint spoke to said Patil, an MLA from Islampur in the Sangli district, has extensively toured Maharashtra and personally connected with cadres across levels since he took over as NCP state president. As a result, he has developed his own group of loyalists who have been building up their leader’s image through posters and viral social media videos.
While Sule, the MP from the Pawars’ home turf of Baramati, has always shown keenness for holding the party’s fort in Delhi, Patil’s ambitions in the state have at times clashed with those of Baramati MLA Ajit Pawar, party sources say. But the two leaders have been careful never to let the occasional friction turn into open conflict.
“Patil has created a place for himself within the party. Although Ajit dada was always a power centre, Patil’s clout has grown phenomenally since he became the party president,” said political analyst Pratap Asbe.
“Patil has ambitions for himself and there is a definite competition between him and Ajit dada. Sule is not as aggressive in asserting her position within the party, but her supporters keep raising her flag for her. Ultimately, Pawarsaheb (Sharad Pawar) ensures that the clash of ambitions doesn’t cause the party any damage,” he added.
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‘Future CM’
Last month, on the eve of Patil’s 61st birthday, his supporters put up posters outside his Napean Sea residence and the party headquarters at Ballard Pier in Mumbai calling him the “would-be CM” and “#Boss.” This sparked a poster war, with supporters of Ajit Pawar and Sule too putting up posters outside the party headquarters describing their respective leaders as the future CM.
Last week, Patil’s supporters once again flexed their muscles by releasing a video of Patil’s speeches in the legislative assembly over the years on social media. The video was released to mark Patil’s return to the legislature for the state budget session that started on 27 February. He was suspended from attending the entire winter sessionfor his alleged derogatory remark against Speaker Rahul Narvekar.
The video mentioned how Patil had presented the state budget as a former finance minister nine times and — as the NCP’s voice in the assembly when in opposition — had aggressively launched attacks on the parties then in power. The video ends with Patil being hoisted on his supporters’ shoulders with a voiceover saying, “Tiger Abhi zinda hain.” (The tiger is still alive.)
In January this year, speaking to a local media house in his home district of Sangli, Patil himself had admitted to having chief ministerial ambitions.
Patil did not respond to ThePrint’s call and text message. This article will be updated if and when a response is received.
Speaking to ThePrint on condition of anonymity, a senior NCP leader close to Sharad Pawar said, “What the situation will be tomorrow, whether we will get a majority or not, whether we will be in a position to form a government and have our CM, no one knows — so there is no point in speculating now who Pawarsaheb may pick.”
“But one thing can’t be denied is that Patil’s following within the party has definitely increased because of his state-wide tours and his organisational work as president,” he added.
Patil as state NCP president
A district-level functionary of the NCP who did not wish to be named told ThePrint that Patil’s ‘Rashtravadi Parivar Samvad Yatra,’ as part of which he toured the entire state and interacted with the party cadre between 2021 and 2022, gained him immense popularity.
“He has definitely worked more than any other previous state president. The BJP has a way of constantly keeping its cadre engaged with party activities. Jayant Patil has cracked that formula and implemented it in the NCP,” he said.
He added that Patil had launched ‘Ek Taas Rashtravadi Sathi’ (one hour for NCP), under which — on the first Saturday of every month — the party’s district-level functionaries have to hold party meetings at the level of each taluka and discuss current affairs and various issues related to the party. “We have to submit a report to the leadership after every such meeting,” the functionary said.
The functionary further said that Patil had also conducted a robust membership drive, more seriously than ever before, with 10 voters under every primary member inducted in the party, and ensured that a two-step verification was done for all primary and secondary members, on the lines of the BJP.
An NCP MLA who did not wish to be named said, “Organisation is more important than legislators. The one who works in the party organisation has a stronger connection with the party’s members and party’s supporters.”
“Patil has done good work, but Ajit dada has done good work too. They have their own following within the party. Now it is all for Sharad Pawarsaheb to decide who gets what. He is the only power centre in the party,” he added.
Seven-time MLA, Sharad Pawar’s protege
Patil was born in a political family with his father Rajaram Bapu Patil being a veteran Congress leader. Patil, a Maratha leader from the NCP’s stronghold of Western Maharashtra, was first elected as a Congress MLA from Sangli’s Walwa constituency in 1990. The seven-time MLA has since then represented the Islampur constituency in Sangli and holds the record of having never lost an election.
When Sharad Pawar broke away from the Congress and formed the NCP in 1999, Patil was among the few key leaders to join him.
Patil held key departments in the 15 years when a Congress-NCP government was in power in Maharashtra from 1999 to 2014. The leader handled the state finance department from 1999 to 2008 and was then entrusted with the state home department after NCP leader R.R Patil had to resign as home minister following the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Between 2009 and 2014, Patil handled the rural development portfolio, and later the state water resources department as part of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government from 2019 to 2022.
Following Patil’s unanimous election as state president in 2018, Sharad Pawar had cited his vast ministerial experience and his work for the party since its inception.
Speaking to ThePrint, political commentator Hemant Desai said, “Patil has worked across departments and has had no major controversies. He handled the finance department at a time when state finances were precarious and he brought in a lot of fiscal prudence.”
“He is a good administrator and can make for a good CM, but he lacks aggression. The kind that Ajit Pawar has,” he added.
(Edited by Geethalakshmi Ramanathan)
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