MUMBAI: NCP chief Sharad Pawar has opted for a social engineering by nominating Dalit, Dhangar and OBC leaders to the Maharashtra Legislative Council in what is being seen as an well-planned strategy to shed his party’s tag of a Maratha outfit.
OBC leader Eknath Khadse, Dalit playback singer Anand Shinde, Dhangar leader Yashpal Bhinge and farmer leader Raju Shetti were nominated for MLC berths in the Governor’s quota, NCP insiders said.
The Maharashtra Cabinet has approved 12 names for MLCs with each alliance partner of the Maha Vikas Aghadi — the Shiv Sena, the NCP and the Congress — getting four slots. The list of candidates will soon be submitted to Governor BS Koshyari.
Pawar is aware that his party’s influence is limited to western Maharashtra only which resulted in the NCP bagging 54 out of the total 288 seats in 2019, the party sources said. After forming the government with the Shiv Sena and the Congress in Maharashtra, Pawar decided to expand his party’s footprints into new territories. While inducting BJP veteran Eknath Khadse, Pawar had said that the OBC leader’s entry opens up the chances of expansion in north Maharashtra.
The wily Maratha strongman wants to turn into an inclusive party so that his party can reap more benefit in the next elections. Other than the OBCs, Pawar wants to expand his base among the Dhangars by nominating Yashpal Bhinge who had trounced former chief minister Ashok Chavan in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Bhinge has a strong base in Marathwada. As for Shinde, Pawar is eyeing a challenger to the Dalit leadership which lies with Union Minister Ramdas Aathwale.
“Pawar carries the legacy of former chief minister Yashwantrao Chavan by giving representatives to every community that makes matter in electoral politics. The NCP chief takes the conscious effort while giving the representatives. Pawar not only does the caste arithmetic politics but also inclusive. It is this reason that he is relevant in Maharashtra’s politics in last five decades,” said a political observer.