Maharashtra's Dynasty Tug-of-wars: Power Struggle In Pawar Clan, Thackerays In A Legacy Bind

Several years ago, at a public rally in Pune, an old man stood up and shouted 바카라�Sharad Pawar ki Jai바카라�. Pawar, who was addressing the gathering stopped his speech mid-way and stared hard at the old man, who continued to chant the slogan. Several minutes went by. Suddenly, the leader uttered a name and asked the old man if he had identified him correctly.

The old man was thrilled and replied in the affi­r­mative. As he was about to sit down, Pawar publ­icly reminisced about a campaign, when the same man had fed him jowar bhakris and raw onions as a snack. The memory triggered tears in the eyes of the old man and earned Pawar a thunderous applause. Such is NCP chief, former Maharashtra chief minister and former Union minister Sharad Pawar바카라�s people-connect that few can emulate.

Even as the 81-year-old leader maintains a tight hold on the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) he founded, talk of his successor has started doing the rounds in Maharashtra바카라�s power corridors.

Though such speculation is not new, it is now buz­zing with even more intensity, especially after the rebellion in the Shiv Sena, which has brought an unease within the NCP. Unlike other regional parties, the NCP has a powerful second-rung lea­dership with mass leaders groomed and mento­r­ed by Pawar waiting quietly for their chance und­er the sun.

Unlike Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, who had lost connect with his cadre, Pawar is conside­red a people바카라�s leader who continues to hold sway over the masses across Maharashtra. 바카라�There is no comparison between the two. Uddhav is far away from Pawar Saheb, who is a giant in politics,바카라� a political analyst tells Outlook.

With talks of succession rife, Pawar바카라�s daughter Supriya Sule, an NCP Lok Sabha MP, holds a sli­ght edge over her cousin Ajit Pawar, the leader of the Opposition in Maharashtra. While Ajit바카라�s nak­ed ambition to be the state바카라�s CM has made him an 바카라�ungu­ided missile바카라�, it is Supr­i­ya바카라�s warmth, understan­ding of national politics and vocal approach that puts her a step higher.

There are covert undercurrents between the two and their differences are closely guarded secrets. Yet, in the eventuality of the daughter being anoi­n­ted as heir, the BJP-inclined nephew will not give up without a struggle, say sources.

Given the NCP바카라�s strong second-rung leadership, it will be no cakewalk for either Ajit or Surpriya to lead it. Each of the NCP바카라�s second rung probables are mass leaders, including Jayant Patil, Dilip Wal­se-Patil, Sunil Tatkare, Dhananjay Munde. Today, with Shiv Sena weakened, NCP is pushing hard to fill the vacuum in Maharashtra바카라�s opposition space. However, many party leaders feel a tie-up with the BJP will benefit the NCP. It will not only help them survive, but also keep them away from central probe agencies.

In this changed political scenario, there is a question mark looming over the NCP바카라�s future. Since its formation, the NCP has never formed a government in Maharashtra on its own. It has always piggybacked, first with Congress and then with the Shiv Sena. Sharad Pawar바카라�s cunning maneuvers have also seen his cre­dibility being questioned at all times.

While the Ajit-Supriya rivalry has played out quietly, fourth-generation politicians of the Pawar clan바카라�Rohit and Parth Pawar바카라�are also contenders for the space within the second rung.

Rohit (36) is the grand-nephew of Sharad Pawar and is the CEO of the Baramati Agro Limited. He is also clo­s­ely connected to sugar lobby politics and has been president of the Indian Sugar Mills Association from Septe­m­ber 2018 to 2019.  He has contested the zilla parishad polls from Shirsuphal Gun­awadi constituency in Pune바카라�s Bara­mati taluka in 2017. Currently, he is an MLA from the Karjat-Jhamkhed asse­m­bly seat. He works in the background, establishing a connect with the people, is non-controversial and adheres to the party diktat바카라�all factors that have found favour with his grand-uncle.

Sharad Pawar바카라�s other grand-nephew, Ajit바카라�s son Parth Pawar, has big ambitions. His political car­eer has been a non-starter since his loss to Shri­r­ang Barne from the Maval seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. But the Pawar clan바카라�s youngest dynast has the knack of staying relevant through his tweets. From his stance on the Ram Janmabh­o­omi temple to the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, Parth바카라�s tweets have been in conflict with his party바카라�s stand.

Like Ajit and Supriya, Rohit and Parth too are cov­ert political rivals. On the face of it, the clan appears to be toeing the line of the patriarch, but beneath the layers of warmth is a hardening layer of ambition pushing its way to the top. To avoid a com­bative situation between his daughter and his nephew, the aging patriarch engaged Supriya in national politics, leaving Ajit to handle Mahara­sh­tra. But their differences are bared frequently. It is no secret that Ajit is intensely ambitious and wan­ts to occupy the CM바카라�s chair바카라�a dream, many feel, is being scuttled by his uncle. Ajit바카라�s grouse is that Roh­it has been chosen over Parth and is being promoted by the NCP patriarch.

Today, Sharad Pawar바카라�s influence, which spreads across the political divide, has plateaued, and his ambition to hold the country바카라�s top job appears to have faded. Yet, political alliances are incomplete without his participation. 바카라�Saheb will always be a necessary part of any political alliance in India. He may be out of power, but Saheb is still a powerful and influential leader,바카라� a NCP leader tells Outlook.

For a man who stitched together the MVA (Maha Vikas Aghadi) allia­nce with ideological opposites바카라�the Congress and the Shiv Sena, along with the NCP바카라�sew­ing the tearing seams of his clan바카라�s ambitions may be his toughest fight yet.

Pan to the Shiv Sena. The second rung rebellion under the leadership of incu­mbent chief minister Eknath Shinde is a strong reminder that dynast Aaditya Thackeray will have a tough time claiming the legacy of his grandfather and Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray.

The exercise has shown that the Tha­ckeray dynasty바카라�Uddhav and his son Aaditya바카라�face a tough challenge from the second rung, and cannot take their present positions as topmost leaders of the party for granted. 바카라�Aaditya may be the last of the Thackeray dyna­sts to lead the Shiv Sena. We doubt if another str­ong dynast will emerge from Uddhavji바카라�s family,바카라� says a Shiv Sena leader.

According to sources, Aaditya바카라�s you­n­ger brother Tejas too is very politically inclined. However, his ambitions are kept on a tight leash by his mother Ras­hmi Thackeray, who wants him to stay fixed on his environmental pursuits.

바카라�He is keen on stepping into politics. There is talk that he could even side with Shinde, if he is not allowed to enter politics,바카라� says a source in the know of events. Intra-family feuds aren바카라�t new to the Thackeray clan. Uddhav바카라�s cousin Raj Thack­e­ray바카라�the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief바카라�is yet another contender for Bal Thackeray바카라�s legacy. The competition for political capital had led to an irreparable bitterness between the cousins.

Of late, Raj has been on the warpath to appropriate the Thackeray legacy. He has also extended a hand of support to Shinde, his cousin바카라�s bête noire.With both the NCP and the Shiv Sena gearing up for a generational shift in their respective dynasties, the battle brewing within in the Pawar clan and the open war for Shiv Sena바카라�s legacy could go a long way in defining the course of Maharashtra politics in the years to come.

(This appeared in the print edition as "Dithering Dynasties")