Sharad Pawar's NCP faces its biggest challenge

As it turns 20, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founded by veteran politician Sharad Pawar, faces its biggest challenge since its inception— to fare better in the upcoming Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections which are likely to be held in September-October.

The NCP hasn't performed well in the past elections as it could get only four seats in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Adding to this is the challenge from the combination of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, making the ensuing polls tough for the NCP and its alliance partner, the Congress.

"For Pawar, there are several challenges," says veteran political analyst Prakash Akolkar referring to some NCP leaders including its sitting MLAs being in touch with the ruling BJP and the newly floated front Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi led by Prakash Ambedkar.

According to Akolkar, the NCP chief on his own strength contested four Assembly polls— 1980, 1984, 1999 and 2014— but the party never crossed the 60 seats mark but when in 2004 in alliance with the Congress, it won 71 seats.

The upcoming elections will see another personality from the Pawar's family making a political debut— the NCP chief is expected to launch Rohit Pawar, one of his grandnephews— in the state where the party's strength continues to be in Western Maharashtra and Marathwada.

In the recently held Lok Sabha polls, the Pawar family suffered a jolt when Sharad's grandnephew Parth Pawar lost the polls from Maval. However, his daughter, Supriya Sule, managed to retain the family seat of Baramati.

The second rung leadership involving Sharad's nephew Ajit Pawar, Sunil Tatkare, state president Jayant Patil and former speaker Dilip Walse-Patil among others, are something that he is devoting time on.

His trusted lieutenant continues to be Praful Patel, the former civil aviation minister.

While some senior Congress leaders continue to target Sharad, there were reports of a possible merger with the Congress to enable the grand old party to claim the post of Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha.

Sharad himself has ruled this out saying that it was mere speculation— the rumour mongering started after he met Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

The NCP came into existence on June 10, 1999 after Sharad, former Lok Sabha speaker P A Sangma and Tariq Anwar were expelled by the Congress for raising the issue of the foreign origin of Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

However, later in 1999, when the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha polls were held together, the Congress and the NCP came together to form the Democratic Front government in Maharashtra which ruled the state for 15 years from 1999-2014.

Similarly, when the Congress-led UPA was in power at the Centre under the leadership of Dr Manmohan Singh from 2004-2014, the NCP was an important ally and Sharad was made the Union agriculture minister.

While Sangama is no more, Anwar has gone back to Congress.