'Need hundred births to understand Sharad Pawar's mind': Sanjay Raut's remark may be coming back to haunt him

File photo: Ajit Pawar (L) with uncle Sharad Pawar

In 2019, just after the assembly polls, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut had said, “You need to take a hundred births to understand the mind of Sharad Pawar.”

This remark about the octogenarian leader had a eulogizing tone, as it came at a time when Shiv Sena and the BJP were moving closer to forming the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance. Six years later, Raut’s statement has come back to haunt him. He now suspects that his party could become yet another victim of Pawar’s unscrupulous political maneuvering.

Raut’s concern stems from the growing proximity between NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar and his nephew Ajit Pawar, who leads the NCP. There are also talks of a merger between their respective factions.

“If they come with us, then good. But if they don’t, we will still move on. We will continue the struggle against dictatorship. Fighting is not the business of the weak-hearted. Let’s see what tri-party agreement emerges between Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar, and Devendra Fadnavis.”

This comment from Raut comes in the backdrop of a series of developments suggesting that Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar are on a path of reconciliation. Ajit had rebelled against Sharad in July 2023 to ally with the Mahayuti alliance led by the BJP. His breakaway faction was recognized by the Speaker as the “real NCP” in the Vidhan Sabha. The Election Commission also granted Ajit Pawar’s group the party’s official name and symbol—a clock. Sharad Pawar, who founded the party in 1999, was forced to adopt a different name and symbol for his faction. However, two years later, the uncle-nephew rivalry appears to be taking a new turn.

Speculation intensified after Sharad Pawar, in an interview with a national daily, said that a faction of his party favors joining hands with Ajit Pawar. He added that the decision on realignment would be taken by next-generation leaders like his daughter, Supriya Sule. The speculation gained traction when Sharad and Ajit shared a stage at Mumbai’s Y.B. Chavan Centre during a public event. Their interactions and body language were closely analyzed in political circles, and many concluded that major decisions were imminent.

Sharad Pawar’s stance on “Operation Sindoor” has also contributed to the narrative. While the Congress has demanded a special session of Parliament, Pawar, citing his experience as a former Defence Minister, opposed the idea, stating that such matters should not be discussed in Parliament. His stand, which diverged from that of a key INDI alliance partner, is being interpreted as a signal of his future moves.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) is uneasy with Pawar’s signaling. It was Pawar who, in 2019, orchestrated the formation of the MVA and persuaded the Shiv Sena to ally with its long-time rival, the Congress. He was also the one who proposed Uddhav Thackeray’s name for the chief minister’s post. The MVA contested both the last Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha polls together. However, the alliance is now on shaky ground, with verbal skirmishes among leaders of the constituent parties following the recent assembly elections. If Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP) merges with the NCP, the MVA is unlikely to survive.

Sharad Pawar has a long-standing reputation for making unpredictable moves in politics. Over a career spanning more than five decades, there have been few instances when he or his party has remained out of power. In this context, if Pawar chooses to part ways with the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Congress and merge his faction with the NCP, it would not come as a surprise.