Amid ‘surprise’ NCP meetings, ‘picture abhi baki hai’

Tribune Web Desk

Vibha Sharma

Chandigarh, July 19

NCP founder Sharad Pawar was the only invited leader, who on Monday did not attend the dinner hosted by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for the opposition meeting in Bengaluru. Though he was present on Day 2 of the deliberations, his absence and the “surprise/impromptu” meetings with “rebel nephew” Ajit Pawar resulted in a variety of speculations.

Meanwhile,“close confidante” and member ofthe breakaway NCP group, Praful Patel, who was there at the opposition meeting in Patna in June, was present at the BJP-led NDA meeting in Delhi along with Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar.

After the NDA meeting, Patel described NCP as an “integral” part of the BJP-led alliance, saying that“the NCP will work with the NDA.”

“Impromptu” meetings after break-up

On Monday, led by Ajit Pawar, a section of MLAs of thebreakaway group met the party patriarch at YB Chavan Centre in Mumbai. The meeting was “unplanned” and Sharad Pawar “unaware” of Ajit Pawar’s faction coming to see him, both sides claimed.

“It was a surprise visit,” the Sharad Pawar side said.

Praful Patel also said that they had gone “without any appointment.

“We understood Sharad Pawar reached here for a meeting and that’s why we all came here to take his blessings,” Patel was quoted as saying after the first meeting on Sunday.

According to the Ajit Pawar side, the second meeting happened because several MLAs could not meet SharadPawar on Sunday because of prior commitments.

The breakaway side reportedly urged Sharad Pawar to ensure that the party remained united under his leadership. The veteran NCP leader is believed to have asked rebels how a solution could be found now that they had made their stands public.

Speaking to the media, Patel also said that Sharad Pawar listened to them quietly but did not give any reaction. “In today’s (Monday) meeting with Sharad Saheb, we again asked him to ensure that the NCP stays united. Although he attentively listened to us, like yesterday, even today, he refrained from offering a reaction,” Patel was quoted as saying after the meeting on Monday

Reports suggest that Ajit Pawar and Patel also discussed disqualification notices moved by Sharad Pawar side against nine NCP MLAs who joined the Eknath Shinde government and urged Sharad Pawar to join the NDA.

Addressing youth wing workers, Sharad Pawar later made it clear that he “cannot support” BJP and that he will continue with “progressive politics”.

NCP story has not ended

Observers say the way Ajit Pawar openly ridiculed his uncle’s age publicly, "close confidante" Praful Patel allowed him to do that and "till-now loyal" NCP MLAs did notobject would have hurt the veteran leader who constructed the party. The fact is, like Chief Minister Eknath Shinde side of the Shiv Sena, Ajit Pawar side is also untested in elections.

In other words, there is no immediate indication of its fate in the coming elections.

After the NCP split, there were speculations over how the 82-year-old veteran leader, someone who is known for his political shrewdness and acumen,remained oblivious to the rumblings within his party.

Though Sharad Pawar said he knew nothing of the rebellion, observers said that his five-decade-long political career is proof of the fact that the Maratha strongman is no pushover.

Whether or not recent Maharashtra developments are the part ofSharad Pawar’s politicalmoves, observers say the meetings show the NCP story has not ended.

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