Mumbai: Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar kept the Eknath Shinde-led Shiva Sena-BJP government on tenterhooks on Monday by meeting NCP party president Sharad Pawar for the second time in 24 hours.
Pawar, who had earlier engineered a split in the NCP and was engaged in a tussle over NCP's ownership, reached Mumbai's YB Chavan Centre to meet the party's president Sharad Pawar along with MLAs of his faction for the second consecutive day amid buzz of his souring relations with the Shinde-Fadnavis camp.
A day before, the Ajit Pawar-led rebel camp of NCP said that it has requested the senior leader to ensure that the party isn't divided. According to NCP leader Praful Patel, senior Pawar didn't reply to the rival faction leaders but listened to what they said. Pawar addressed the party workers and made it clear that he will continue his "progressive politics" and never ally with the BJP.
The NCP patriarch, 82, has been a unifying factor of Opposition parties in their tirade against the BJP. Political observers believe the BJP's desperation to lure Ajit into its fold stems from the fear that a stabilised NCP with Sharad Pawar at the helm can play a spanner in its plan to win the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Pawar-led NCP's split earlier this month after Ajit Pawar volte face derailed Pawar's plan to play the role of anchor in forging the Opposition unity againt BJP-led NDA government. Soon after assuming as Deputy CM, Ajit Pawar made his intention to become the CM public. His gesture did not go down well with Fadnavis-Shinde camp.
Ajit Pawar, who claims the support of more NCP MLAs than Sharad Pawar, also visited his uncle's home last week to meet with his aunt Pratibha Pawar - Sharad Pawar's wife - who had a surgery recently; is known for his political jugglery. After the 2019 assembly polls in Maharashtra, the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance split over issues of power-sharing. Devendra Fadnavis tried to form a government while making Ajit Pawar his deputy. However, Sharad Pawar came to the rescue of his party, managed his nephew and the MLAs returned home. This time, however, Eknath Shinde government is not dependant on Ajit Pawar for its survival. Despite having sufficient numbers, the ruling government may still be willing to keep Ajit, a wily player, under check so that nothing untoward happens and rocks its boat.
