His thick moustache completes his dabangg look. Forty-nine-year old Jitendra Awhad, the new working president of NCP’s Maharashtra state unit, has the image of a dabangg leader and is touted as the NCP’s new leader on the horizon.
Awhad is also MLA from Kalwa-Mumbra which has a sizable Muslim population. His championing of the cause of Muslims has made him into a cult figure.
Awhad’s antics could easily eclipse the character of Chulbul Pandey played by Salman Khan in Bollywood flick Dabangg. Consider this, after his numerous correspondences to Mumbai civic body to not dump garbage near Thane on the outskirts of Mumbai went unheard he and his men hijacked two of the garbage trucks, and dumped the garbage on the doorstep of Mumbai civic head office at Fort. He was booked by the police for hijacking government vehicle and littering. Of course, the problem was not solved but it did give him a good coverage in media. In 2010 when Oriental Insurance Company delayed payment to a railway cop who was hit by train while chasing a thief in Mumbai, Awhad took matters in his hand and locked the office of the insurance company at Thane while the employees were still inside. When a college in Thane, his alma mater, issued a circular not to celebrate rose day, Awhad went to the college with hundreds of roses and started distributing it to one and all.
Now, NCP chief Sharad Pawar has ensured that there is some buffering in case Awhad shoots off his mouth or indulges in some antics targeted to win eyeballs. Though there was consensus among the party leaders to make Awhad president, it was Pawar who insisted on making him the working president. Bhaskar Jadhav who was dropped from the Maharashtra ministry is named the president of the party’s state unit. “Knowing Awhad, Pawar wanted somebody higher or equivalent who could act as buffer in case he says something that would embarrass the party,” said a party insider. Awhad admitted that he does tend to speak his mind “irrespective of the consequences”.
Awhad is a shrewd politician. Since Pawar founded NCP in 1999 there were two loyal leaders from Thane who followed him—Awahd and Vasant Dawkhare (Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Council). The rivalry between the two was intense. Awhad played a masterstroke; he joined hands with Ganesh Naik from neighbouring Navi Mumbai. Naik, a political veteran, had deep pockets and was keen to spread his dominion over neigbouring Thane; however Dawkhare who had other plans was coming in his way. Awahd helped his son Sanjeev Naik win the Lok Sabha polls from Thane in 2009. The seat which was with Shiv Sena-BJP for over three decades was wrested by NCP-Congress alliance for the first time. This got Pawar’s attention. In September 2009, he got candidature for NCP-Congress from Kalwa-Mumbra and delivered again by winning the seat.