Express News Service
Pawar PlayAll eyes on cornered Ajit’s next move
Supriya Sule, the newly-appointed working president of the Nationalist Congress Party, had predicted two earthquakes in Maharashtra politics. They have occurred – the resignation of Sharad Pawar as NCP chief and its subsequent withdrawal, and the appointment of Supriya and Praful Patel as the party’s second-in-command after Pawar. Observers of Maharashtra politics are now waiting for the third earthquake – the next move by Ajit Pawar, the powerful nephew of Sharad Pawar. In the latest round of party appointments, Sharad Pawar has anointed Supriya as his political heir.
The new arrangements have left Ajit completely sidelined. He had been arguably the most popular and powerful NCP leader after the party patriarch. No other than Sharad Pawar had groomed him and helped him scale such heights. But he fell out with his uncle on the issue of joining the Maharashtra government with the BJP. The BJP fears continuing with the Sena faction of chief minister Eknath Shinde may hurt it in the upcoming Lok Sabha and assembly elections because of its unpopularity. It has, therefore, been trying to rope in the NCP. Ajit is keen to join the government. But Supriya is not. Sharad Pawar has spoken his mind through the party reshuffle, which is read as an exercise to ring-fence NCP MLAs against a possible poaching attempt by Ajit. All eyes are now on Ajit’s next move.
Desert StormBJP turns to raje after Karnataka defeat
Former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje is likely to be catapulted into a position of prominence by the BJP leadership. Sources said a decision to this effect had been taken when party president J P Nadda met home minister Amit Shah and general secretary K L Santosh last week. The top leadership of the BJP feels that one of the reasons for its defeat in Karnataka was the sidelining of its popular state leader B S Yediyurappa. The party does not want to repeat its mistake in Rajasthan.
According to sources, Vasundhara may get the post of campaign committee chief. She had earlier been denied the posts of legislature party leader and state president. There are reports that the party had earlier dissociated itself from her district-level outreach programmes. But that was before the Karnataka results came in. The defeat has made the BJP realise that it cannot hope to win state elections merely on the strength of the Prime Minister’s popularity.
Local leaders are critical for winning state elections. After Nadda met with Shah and Santosh, Vasundhara was called to Delhi. She had a long meeting with Santosh. The two will meet again later this week, and a decision about her role in the next election may be taken. The party had been toying with the idea of leadership change in Rajasthan, where Vasundhara has been a dominant figure. Many leaders, including Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Railways and MEITY minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat were considered as possible faces for the upcoming election. But Karnataka seems to have changed the party’s plan.
Pawar Play
All eyes on cornered Ajit’s next move
Supriya Sule, the newly-appointed working president of the Nationalist Congress Party, had predicted two earthquakes in Maharashtra politics. They have occurred – the resignation of Sharad Pawar as NCP chief and its subsequent withdrawal, and the appointment of Supriya and Praful Patel as the party’s second-in-command after Pawar. Observers of Maharashtra politics are now waiting for the third earthquake – the next move by Ajit Pawar, the powerful nephew of Sharad Pawar. In the latest round of party appointments, Sharad Pawar has anointed Supriya as his political heir.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
The new arrangements have left Ajit completely sidelined. He had been arguably the most popular and powerful NCP leader after the party patriarch. No other than Sharad Pawar had groomed him and helped him scale such heights. But he fell out with his uncle on the issue of joining the Maharashtra government with the BJP. The BJP fears continuing with the Sena faction of chief minister Eknath Shinde may hurt it in the upcoming Lok Sabha and assembly elections because of its unpopularity. It has, therefore, been trying to rope in the NCP. Ajit is keen to join the government. But Supriya is not. Sharad Pawar has spoken his mind through the party reshuffle, which is read as an exercise to ring-fence NCP MLAs against a possible poaching attempt by Ajit. All eyes are now on Ajit’s next move.
Desert Storm
BJP turns to raje after Karnataka defeat
Former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje is likely to be catapulted into a position of prominence by the BJP leadership. Sources said a decision to this effect had been taken when party president J P Nadda met home minister Amit Shah and general secretary K L Santosh last week. The top leadership of the BJP feels that one of the reasons for its defeat in Karnataka was the sidelining of its popular state leader B S Yediyurappa. The party does not want to repeat its mistake in Rajasthan.
According to sources, Vasundhara may get the post of campaign committee chief. She had earlier been denied the posts of legislature party leader and state president. There are reports that the party had earlier dissociated itself from her district-level outreach programmes. But that was before the Karnataka results came in. The defeat has made the BJP realise that it cannot hope to win state elections merely on the strength of the Prime Minister’s popularity.
Local leaders are critical for winning state elections. After Nadda met with Shah and Santosh, Vasundhara was called to Delhi. She had a long meeting with Santosh. The two will meet again later this week, and a decision about her role in the next election may be taken. The party had been toying with the idea of leadership change in Rajasthan, where Vasundhara has been a dominant figure. Many leaders, including Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Railways and MEITY minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat were considered as possible faces for the upcoming election. But Karnataka seems to have changed the party’s plan.
