MUMBAI: Serious political theorists as well as believers in realpolitik have time and again affirmed that this Maratha strongman is less of a visionary and more of a leader.
In about a week, Sharad Pawar has proved himself to be more than an old codger in the game of politics trying to make the impossible possible. What else can explain his conduct that made us first believe that he is out of the reckoning in Maharashtra politics, reducing his followers to tears and then, quickly backtracking to reassert his political existence?
All this happened while an NCP committee swiftly assessed the mood among the MLAs/MPs to reject Pawar’s resignation as the party chief. Ergo, Pawar is very much in.
That reality is a test for his nephew Ajit, daughter Supriya Sule, Uddhav Thackeray and all who matter in the BJP. There are various versions about why Pawar did something for which he has never been known. One of the believable points is that he wanted to avoid a rebellion in the NCP that he founded in 1999 after opposing Sonia Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate and leaving the Congress. That was then.
At 83, Pawar can safely recall all that and more as his nephew Ajit choose a “different path” (Ajit did not attend the event where Pawar announced his U-turn). For someone who started his political career at the age of 27 under the tutelage of Maharashtra’s first chief minister Yashwantrao Chavan, all decisions are worth a revisit. Like, initially, Sharad Pawar was attracted towards Jawaharlal Nehru and his Nehruvian ideas despite nurturing himself in the backdrop of communist and socialist background. Pawar’s mother was a local body member of the Marxist-influenced Peasant and Workers Party. But he chose the Congress.
OPINION | Decoding Pawar politics and power optics
Another recallable fact about Pawar is that he became the youngest chief minister of Maharashtra at the age of 38. He formed the first government by revolting against the Congress chief minister Vasant Dada Patil, but within two years, his alliance government was abolished by India Gandhi.
Rajiv Gandhi brought him back into the Congress, yet Pawar has always shared a love-and-hate relationship with the Gandhi family. Surprisingly, he never chose to drift from the core ideological path of secularism despite having lucrative offers from BJP’s top leaders. Pawar remained loyal and committed to the secular, socialist, and progressive ideology of Shahu Phule and Dr BR Ambedkar in his 56-year political career.
Sharad Pawar has been four-time CM of Maharashtra, and defence and agriculture minister at the Centre, but the top post – Prime Minister -- always eluded him, though he was within striking distance. At this age with multiple health problems, Pawar has reasons to lose hope and appears to be struggling to keep his NCP together against the “expansionism” being displayed by the BJP.
He has got friends across parties. In 2019, to checkmate the BJP, Pawar offered the chief minister post to Uddhav Thackeray of Shiv Sena, a BJP ally for three decades. That changed the game in the state as Hindutva and secular Congress together for power. That’s why he is called the architect of the Maha Vikas Agahdi, though it survived for only two-and-a-half years. In the updated edition of his book, 'On My Terms', he blamed Uddhav for not anticipating the revolt in his party.
In Maharashtra that sends 48 MPs to the Lok Sabha, the BJP is on a slippery slope and internal surveys are projecting a gloomy picture for it. Sources say as plan B, the BJP has tried to poach Ajit Pawar by offering him the CM’s post. Besides, there is “pressure” from central agencies – Ajit and his spouse Sunetra have been mentioned in the Enforcement Directorate chargesheet in a case involving a sugar factory. Many more NCP MLAs and leaders are making rounds of central agencies' offices as they want a “safe passage.”
Such hard facts could have forced Pawar to offer his resignation. Ajit was happy with this family-led plan, but protests from the local party workers and pressure from other Opposition leaders forced the NCP committee to pass a resolution rejecting Pawar resignation. By announcing his resignation, Pawar could have killed many birds with a stone. He not only prevented a split in the party, but showed the BJP, he remains the NCP’s big boss.