Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar’s death in a plane crash, along with four others, tragic as it is has serious political connotations. As the leader of the NCP that broke away from his uncle Sharad Pawar’s leadership, he was a crucial factor in holding up the present ruling alliance in Maharashtra. He was a seasoned politician and had been Deputy CM six non-consecutive times, having also held numerous other ministerial posts. One of the three pillars that held up the present government, along with BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena’s Eknath Shinde, his passing is likely to create uncertainty in the state’s political equations.
In recent local elections, his NCP had not performed too well and his allies were applying pressure for a larger share of the seats to contest in future contests. This had created some tensions for obvious reasons. Allocating seats to a party that was not performing well at the hustings would have weakened the electoral presence of the Mahayuti alliance. Not doing so would have decreased Ajit Pawar’s influence in government and led to loss of public support. As such, of late, he had been mending fences with his mentor and uncle, Sharad Pawar. This had opened up quite a few possibilities, either strengthening the government through a united NCP, or through taking an independent direction.
Ajit Pawar’s presence was also helpful for CM Fadnavis in keeping the other ally, Eknath Shinde, in line. Without a strong ally thrown up by the NCP, Shinde will become more assertive. As has been seen recently following the BMC and other urban body elections in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena has won a crucial slice of the seats and is not averse to tying up at this level with parties outside the alliance. If the NCP loses its significance, or its cadres merge again with the Sharad Pawar faction, it could create a serious challenge for the Chief Minister. He will be hoping for a member of Ajit Pawar’s family, possibly his wife, to emerge as the leader of the NCP, thereby energising the cadre and keeping it in line with the Mahayuti.
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has demanded an SC monitored inquiry into the plane crash, alleging it to be a political conspiracy. Considering that Ajit Pawar was an asset, overall, to Fadnavis, is she implying that the opposition had something to do with the crash? It is clear, though, that Maharashtra politics is in for a churn. Fadnavis has successfully maneuvered his way through the years quite effectively, how he manages the coming challenge remains to be seen.
