Decimated NCP: Can Sharad Pawar pull his party out of crisis? These are the 3 options before him

Sharad Pawar’s NCP is in a brainstorming mode and is contemplating a strategy for its survival

A look at Sharad Pawar’s political career reveals his belief that the raison d'être of a political party is to be in power. Over the last five decades, the octogenarian leader has been successful in keeping himself or his party in power. There have been very few occasions where he has been in the opposition. It is this reputation of Pawar that has fueled the discussion that, after an embarrassing defeat in the recent assembly polls, Pawar is likely to take a decision aligning him with the incumbent. Such talks are not unsubstantiated. The developments taking place after the assembly election results indicate that something is cooking behind the curtains.

Sharad Pawar’s NCP is in a brainstorming mode and is contemplating a strategy for its survival. By winning just 10 seats out of 288 in the Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha polls, the party is almost decimated. The Vidhan Sabha results have overturned the success achieved during the last Lok Sabha polls. In the contest between uncle Sharad Pawar and nephew Ajit Pawar, the nephew has emerged powerful. Sharad Pawar has faced the most humiliating defeat in his political trajectory. According to undercurrents in his party, the senior Pawar now has three options left to take his politics forward:

If Pawar makes this choice, his party will have to remain in the opposition as part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). This option carries risks, and it will be difficult for Pawar to keep his party afloat. Leaders loyal to him so far could switch to the ruling side. Additionally, the verbal conflict between the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress has created uncertainty over MVA’s future. Uddhav Thackeray seems to be returning to hardline Hindutva and has asked his party workers to prepare for fighting independently in the upcoming polls.

A section of NCP leaders is urging Sharad Pawar to reunite with Ajit Pawar. This would make them part of the incumbent alliance. Their argument is that the Vidhan Sabha results have shown that people consider Ajit Pawar’s party to be the real NCP, and its future seems bright. The bitterness between the uncle and nephew appears to have receded in recent days. Ajit Pawar, along with his wife Sunetra, visited Sharad Pawar to greet him on his birthday, which is seen as an indication of reconciliation.

Another section of NCP (SP) members believes the party should not merge with Ajit Pawar’s faction but join the NDA. An expansion of PM Modi’s cabinet is likely soon, in which Ajit Pawar’s faction could get a ministerial berth. The argument here is that Sharad Pawar’s NCP won eight seats in the Lok Sabha polls. If Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, with six seats, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP, with just one seat, could secure ministerial berths in the union cabinet, then Sharad Pawar’s NCP has a strong case for a seat in the Modi cabinet.

Of late, Sharad Pawar has toned down his criticism of the NDA. Although after the assembly results, he made statements against EVMs and demanded the usage of the old ballot paper system, his daughter Supriya Sule has since made a contradictory statement. Recently, Sule said that after winning elections four times, she could not blame the machines. Another development fueling these talks is a recent parley between Pawar and Modi, during which the latter gifted him boxes of pomegranates produced by Maharashtra farmers. Sharad Pawar has also invited Modi to inaugurate the 98th Marathi Sahitya Sammelan to be held in Delhi in February 2025.

On January 8 and 9, Sharad Pawar’s NCP has called a two-day party meeting to strategize for the upcoming civic polls. The options mentioned above for the party’s future trajectory are also likely to come up for discussion.