Maharashtra Assembly Elections:There are strong speculations of unity between the two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Maharashtra these days. However, it is not yet clear whether this will happen before or after the assembly elections, but it is being speculated that both faction leaders—Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar—have shown signs of softening their stance. Supriya Sule might be the link that brings the two back together.
“Had he asked, the whole party would have given it to him,” Supriya Sule’s claim
Amid preparations for the Maharashtra Assembly elections, Supriya Sule, the daughter of NCP founder and patriarch Sharad Pawar and MP from Baramati, took a lighthearted jab at her cousin and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. At an event in Mumbai, she remarked that if “Dada” (Ajit Pawar) had asked for it, the whole party would have given it to him—there was no need to break the party.
Supriya Sule was told that her father, Sharad Pawar, was showering more love on her, while Ajit Pawar was the real heir to the party. To this, Supriya Sule, executive president of NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), responded, “Oh, if he had asked for it, I would have given everything… there was no need to break the party. What’s the big deal in that… the choice to leave was his.” She also said that the NCP, under her father Sharad Pawar’s leadership, wanted to keep Ajit Dada within the party.
Ajit admits mistake of running Sunetra against Supriya
Earlier, Ajit Pawar admitted his mistake of fielding his wife, Sunetra Pawar, against Supriya Sule in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections for the Baramati seat. Ajit Pawar, on several occasions, has expressed full respect for Sharad Pawar while making his stance clear. Despite the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) putting in all efforts for the Maharashtra Assembly elections, there doesn’t seem to be any bitterness within the family members.
Ajit Pawar becomes Deputy CM after the NCP split in July 2023
In July 2023, Ajit Pawar, nephew of Sharad Pawar, split the NCP and took most of the party’s MLAs with him. Following this, the junior Pawar joined the NDA alliance. The BJP-Shiv Sena government, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, gave him the post of Deputy Chief Minister. However, in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Ajit Pawar was outmatched by his uncle Sharad Pawar, with Ajit managing to secure only one seat.
Ajit Pawar softens stance after Lok Sabha election results
After the results of the Lok Sabha elections, Ajit Pawar’s stance towards the old NCP and Sharad Pawar has noticeably softened. According to political analysts, he is trying to create opportunities to leave the BJP-Shiv Sena-led Mahayuti (grand alliance) and return to the NCP, Mahavikas Aghadi (MVA), and the INDIA alliance. However, Ajit Pawar has repeatedly dismissed these speculations as baseless, but he never misses a chance to show closeness to his old party and family.
Tug-of-war over seat-sharing between Shiv Sena, BJP, and NCP
Meanwhile, a tug-of-war over seat-sharing for the Maharashtra Assembly elections is ongoing between the Mahayuti (Shiv Sena, BJP, and NCP). Ajit Pawar openly expressed his ambition to become the Chief Minister at an event. In another event, NDA clearly mentioned Eknath Shinde as the Chief Ministerial face. Following this, Devendra Fadnavis remarked that even a party with just one MLA aspires to become Chief Minister. A new debate has now started on whether this was a jibe at Ajit Pawar or a compliment.
If this happens, Supriya Sule could become Maharashtra’s first female Chief Minister
On the other hand, Sharad Pawar seems to be grooming Supriya Sule, the executive president of the old NCP, as the party’s and family’s “dark horse”. Renowned journalist and author Neerja Chowdhury, while writing about recent Maharashtra politics, has speculated that if the MVA (Mahavikas Aghadi) wins in Maharashtra, Sharad Pawar might push Supriya Sule for the Chief Minister’s post amidst infighting between Uddhav Thackeray and Congress over the position. If such a situation arises, even Ajit Pawar might forget everything and support her, potentially making Maharashtra’s first woman Chief Minister.