Sonia Doohan: The woman who deflated Ajit Pawar’s 2019 rebellion likely to quit NCP (SP), blames Supriya Sule

Sonia was seen in a meeting called by Ajit Pawar in Mumbai on Monday.

It has been around ten months since Ajit Pawar rebelled against his uncle Sharad Pawar and formed his own party, which has been recognized as the real NCP by the Election Commission. Most of the leaders, MPs, and MLAs who were previously loyal to NCP founder Sharad Pawar have joined Ajit Pawar's camp.

The exodus from Sharad Pawar's party, now renamed NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar), is still ongoing. The latest turncoat is Dheeraj Sharma, National President of the youth wing of NCP (SP). Next in line is believed to be another youth leader Sonia Doohan. She was seen in a meeting called by Ajit Pawar in Mumbai on Monday. A day later, while addressing the media, she blamed Supriya Sule, Working President of the party, for leaders leaving the party. Her outbursts, hinting severance of relationship with the party, has surprised many, as she had played a significant role in thwarting his rebellion in 2019 on senior Pawar's instructions.

On the morning of November 23, 2019, Ajit Pawar shocked everyone by taking the oath as Deputy Chief Minister alongside Devendra Fadnavis, who was sworn in as Chief Minister. Twelve NCP MLAs out of 54 were present during the hastily arranged swearing-in ceremony. Ajit Pawar claimed that many more MLAs were in his support and would vote for the government during the trust motion.

However, a few hours later, Sharad Pawar called a press conference and threatened to take action against the defectors under the anti-defection law and have them disqualified as members of the Vidhan Sabha. His threat worked, and most of them returned to the party fold by the evening except for four. MLAs Daulat Daroda, Nitin Pawar, Anil Patil, and Narhari Jirwal had been sent by Ajit Pawar to Gurugram and kept in Hotel Oberoi. They were to be brought back to Mumbai at the time of the floor test in Vidhan Sabha.

One of the four MLAs messaged Sharad Pawar that they were held captive and wanted to return. Sharad Pawar asked the student wing leader of his party, Sonia Doohan, to rescue them. The rooms where the MLAs were kept were guarded. Doohan planned a daring operation and booked rooms in the hotel. After studying the guards' movements, she found a window of five to seven minutes when the guards changed shifts to “rescue” the MLAs. She and her teammates successfully got three MLAs out through the back gate of the hotel. The fourth MLA, Narhari Jirwal, who tried to escape from the front gate, was caught. Doohan first took the MLAs to Sharad Pawar’s residence in Delhi, from where early morning flight tickets to Mumbai were booked. As the news of the three MLAs reaching Mumbai broke, Jirwal was also released.

As per the Supreme Court's order, Devendra Fadnavis had to prove his majority in the legislative assembly on November 26; however, Ajit Pawar's rebellion had failed. Regretfully, Pawar told Fadnavis that he couldn't secure the required number of MLAs to support the government. Hence, Fadnavis resigned, and his four-day-old government fell.

Sonia Doohan's audacity and planning were lauded by Sharad Pawar, and the story of her “daring operation” appeared in all the newspapers the next day, with TV reporters queuing for interviews. She was referred to as “Sankatmochak” (Troubleshooter) and the Lady James Bond of the NCP. Last year, Sharad Pawar rewarded Doohan by promoting her as the in-charge of the party’s central office in Delhi. In 2022, when Eknath Shinde rebelled from the Shiv Sena and kept his MLAs in a Goa hotel, Doohan also checked into that hotel allegedly under a false identity. She was arrested on charges of impersonation by the Goa police.

She is likely to take a call on whether to join Ajit Pawar's camp or remain in the party after June 4, when results of Lok Sabha elections will be out.