Sharad Pawar’s comments evoke mixed response

The 83-year-old had triggered speculations of a possible merger of NCP (SP) with the Congress.

Mumbai: Midway into the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Sharad Pawar’s remark that many regional parties may move closer to Congress post the elections evoked mixed response on Wednesday. 

The statement of 83-year-old also triggered speculations of a possible merger of NCP (SP) with the Congress. 

And the larger question is - whether the reshaping of the opposition, post 4 June, 2024,  has started? 

Migrations and crossing overs to opposite camps is not something new, however, the statement of Pawar, a four-time Maharashtra chief minister, three-time union minister and ex-leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, assumes significance in the wake of BJP targeting regional parties through various means. 

In an interview to a daily, Pawar said: “In the next couple of years, several regional parties will associate more closely with the Congress. Or they may look at the options of merging with the Congress if they believe that is best for their party.” However, in his party, he said: “I don’t see any difference between the Congress and us…ideologically we belong to the Gandhi, Nehru line of thinking - but added that decision on strategy and or next steps would be taken “collectively”.

Asked about the statement, Pawar’s daughter and NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule described it as a “generic statement”. 

After Pawar’s statement, the BJP-led Maha Yuti leaders including Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar hit out at him.

Shinde, the chief leader of Shiv Sena, took a chance to hit out at his bete noire and predecessor Uddhav Thackeray, who now heads Shiv Sena (UBT). “As far as he (Thackeray) is concerned what remains is just a formality…Balasaheb Thackeray always kept the Congress at arm's length, yet Uddhav Thackeray forged an alliance with them. This move left Shiv Sainiks feeling disillusioned,” he said. 

Fadnavis said that it is just a matter of time that NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT) would merge with Congress.  "It is nothing new because Pawar has formed new parties and later merged them with Congress,” Fadnavis said even as Ajit Pawar cited examples of some mergers in the past.  

Senior politician  Sanjay Nirupam, who left the Congress to join Shiv Sena, said Pawar has been thinking about merging with the Congress for a long time and even the Congress had given the proposal to him.

"But Congress rejected a proposal to entrust the leadership to Supriya Sule. Pawar's fresh comment suggests that the ground is slipping in Baramati. Even if that is not the case, he has no option but to merge with Congress which will be seen as a merger of two loss making companies ," Nirupam said.

Meanwhile, senior Congressman and leader of the opposition in the Assembly Vijay Wadettiwar said: “Pawar is a leader with a long term vision. People are fed up with the dictatorial regime and want a change of guard.”