Pawar struggles: parties in flux

In Maharashtra, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is at a crossroads. The party, which was formed by Sharad Pawar in 1999, has been a strong regional force, being in power for 20 of the 27 years of its existence, in alliance with parties across the ideological spectrum. Its split in 2023 led to a majority of the leaders and cadre turning to Ajit Pawar, who had joined hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He claimed ownership of the original party, which the top court eventually ratified. Sharad Pawar was thus left with only a fraction of the party’s strength, and had to float a new party named the NCP-SP (Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar). He now looks to his daughter Supriya Sule to lead the party, as a young and comparatively inexperienced grand-nephew, Rohit Pawar, tries to flex his muscles in Baramati and beyond. Away from power, the cadre and its leaders are in a state of disarray.

After the split in 2023, Ajit Pawar proved his mettle in the State in the 2024 elections, while Sharad Pawar’s party dominated in the Lok Sabha polls. But the sudden demise of Ajit Pawar earlier this year dealt a heavy blow to both parties as their leaders admitted that talks of a merger were underway when Ajit Pawar was alive. Today, Ajit Pawar’s NCP has been inherited by his politically inexperienced wife, Sunetra Pawar, who continues to be a part of the Mahayuti government led by the BJP. She is Maharashtra’s first woman Deputy Chief Minister. A massive sympathy wave got her elected by a national record during her first Assembly election (by-polls) in April this year from Baramati; none of the major parties fielded any candidate against her. The Baramati constituency is considered to be a bastion of the Pawars, with Ajit Pawar being elected as its legislator for eight consecutive terms.