Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 | Sharad Pawar corners several former aides, not just Ajit Pawar

Mumbai/Pune: Veteran politician and NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar not only has cornered his rebel nephew Ajit Pawar but several of his former aides and ex-colleagues in the run up to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly polls.

The list includes Chhagan Bhujbal (Yeola), Dilip Walse-Patil (Ambegaon), Hasan Mushrif (Kagal) and Dhananjay Munde (Parli), Narhari Zirwal (Dindori), Dharmarao Baba Atram (Aheri), Shrirang Barne (Indapur) -- the high-profile among them.

They all sided with Ajit Pawar when he claimed control of the NCP that Sharad Pawar founded 25 years ago and switched over to the ruling BJP-led Maha Yuti (NDA) during June-July 2023.

Ajit Pawar left Maha Vikas Aghadi as Leader of the Opposition to become the Deputy Chief Minister for the record fifth time.

“Pawar Saheb has strategically fielded candidates. He has cornered several of his former aides and ex-colleagues. Wherever needed, he has got candidates from other parties, whether from the opposition or ruling side. He has managed to confine several of them in their respective seats. He also ensured proper caste-combination,” said a senior NCP (SP) leader from Baramati, the home-turf of Pawar, who is often referred to as Maratha strongman.

“Despite his age and health issues, he is travelling across the statement meeting people…Saheb will leave no stones unturned to defeat them,” the senior leader said, adding that to start with even before the Lok Sabha polls, Pawar reached out to his political rivals in the respective constituencies and region and shook hands. The results were visible with NCP (SP) winning eight of the 10 seats the party contested.

In Baramati, from where Ajit Pawar is seeking reelection for eighth term, he had fielded his grand-nephew Yugendra Pawar.

Pawar’s daughter and Baramati MP, who had defeated his Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra Pawar, in Lok Sabha polls, is actively campaigning in these seats.

Supriya Sule’s daughter Revati was seen campaigning for Yugendra Pawar and so as his cousin Rohit Pawar, who is MLA from Karjat-Jamkhed in neighbouring Ahilyanagar district (earlier Ahmednagar).

In Ambegaon in Pune district, where Walse-Patil, a minister and ex-Speaker is contesting, Pawar has fielded Devdatta Nikam. In fact, Walse-Patil has started as a PA to Pawar and has risen the ladder becoming an MLA seven times. Nikam, who was once one of the closest aides of Walse-Patil and managed the elections, is giving a tough time to his former boss.

In Yeola in Nashik, where Bhujbal, a senior OBC leader and minister, is contesting polls, is facing Manikrao Shinde is son of former MLA Madhukarrao Shinde who comes from a Maratha family. Bhujbal, a former Deputy Chief Minister, who is the founder-President of Akhil Bharatiya Mahatma Phule Samata Parishad, is facing strong opposition from Marathas and Manoj Jarange-Patil has appealed to the community in Nashik district to ensure his defeat. Shinde is a former aide of Bhujbal, who hails from Mali community. Incidentally, Bhujbal’s own nephew Sameer Bhujbal has rebelled and contested polls from Nandgaon.

In Kagal in Kolhapur district, five-time MLA and minister Hasan Mushrif is facing a challenge from Raje Samarjeetsinh Ghatge, who is a member of the royal family of Kolhapur, who switched over from BJP to NCP (SP). Ghatge was once considered close to BJP’s Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Samarjeetsinh’s late father Vikramsinh Ghatge is a two-time MLA from Kagal. His uncle Shrimant Raje Pravinsinh Ghatge is active in social causes and the cooperative sector.

In Parti in Beed district, Munde, an OBC leader from Vanjari community, faces a Maratha candidate Rajesaheb Deshmukh of NCP (SP).

In Dindori (ST) seat in Nashik, Zirwal, who is the Deputy Speaker, faces Sunita Charoskar.

In Indapur, which neighbours Baramati, he ensured that former political rival cooperative sector baron Harshvardhan Patil joins the NCP (SP). A four-time MLA, Patil is taking on two-time MLA Shrirang Barne, who is a close aide of Ajit Pawar.

In Aheri in Gadchiroli district, Atram faces his own daughter Bhagyashree Atram-Halgekar, who recently rebelled against her father and joined NCP (SP) and also his nephew Ambrishrao Atram, a former BJP minister and now rebel Independent candidate.

Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

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