Mumbai: Once dubbed as the Chanakya of Maharashtra politics, Sharad Pawar has faced a significant setback in the recently-concluded assembly elections in the western state despite his efforts to rebuild the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) after a spilt. As things stood at 2 pm on Saturday, the Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP was ahead in only 13 of the state’s 288 seats after contesting 87. The strike rate stood at 14.94%, which is the veteran leader’s worst ever. His faction was on its way to loose key constituencies, including his stronghold, Baramati. The latest poll debacle is even more surprising as the party had a strike rate of about 80% in the Lok Sabha elections, held barely six months back.
The results, as analysts opined, highlight the shifting political landscape in Maharashtra. In such a scenario, the veteran leader’s political future is in question.
Pawar Vs Pawar politics
According to the early trends of the poll results, Sharad Pawar’ NCP was 26 seats behind the Ajit Pawar faction. The was the first state assembly contest between the Pawars after Ajit split the party last year.
In the last Lok Sabha polls, Sharad Pawar had achieved a decisive victory, laying claim to his group being the real NCP. His victory then was a blow to the existence of Ajit’s NCP despite the fact that the latter faction got the original name and symbol.
In the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly polls, the undivided NCP had won 54 seats, more than its ally Congress. At that time, Congress had clinched 44 seats. This year, Sharad Pawar’s NCP is set to have the lowest number of Assembly seats, compared to major political parties in the state.
Sharad Pawar’s political journey
Sharad Pawar has been in politics for nearly six decades. He has served as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra four times. In fact, he was the youngest person to hold the post at the age of 38 in 1978. He has also held various portfolios in the Union cabinet, including defence and agriculture. In 1991, he had lost out to PV Narasimha Rao for the post of Prime Minister.
In 1999, he was expelled from the Congress as he had contested the right of Italy-born Sonia Gandhi to lead the party. Thereafter, he formed the NCP. Over the years, he established NCP as one of the four key players in Maharashtra – along with the Congress, the BJP and the Shiv Sena. He also joined the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre. He was also the architect of the Maha Vikas Aghadi in 2019, forging an unlikely alliance of the Congress and the NCP with the Shiv Sena—a former member of the BJP-led NDA.
Sena Vs Sena: Uddhav lost the prestige battle?
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Assembly election results has dealt a blow to the Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena which had also suffered a spilt in 2022 after Chief Minister Eknath Shinde rebelled and formed a new faction to join hands with the BJP. According to the latest trends, Shinde’s faction was leading in 56 out of the 81 seats it contested. The strike rate of 69% seems to have settled the debate about the real ‘Shiv Sena’ as Uddhav’s faction was ahead in only 23 of the 95 seats it contested. The strike rate of Uddhav Thackeray’s faction was a only 24%.
The ruling Mahayuti alliance, led by CM Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis, is heading for a historic win in Maharashtra. The alliance is leading in over 200 seats. The BJP is leading in 120-plus constituencies, surpassing its 2019 tally of 105 seats.
Shinde’s faction had won 7 out of 15 seats in the last Lok Sabha polls, compared to Uddhav’s 9 victories from 21 seats.
Throughout the poll campaign, Shinde termed himself as the leader supported by ‘real Shiv Sainiks’ and claimed to have grassroots backing. He had alleged that Uddhav’s dependence was on votes from Congress and Sharad Pawar’s NCP, particularly in Muslim-dominated areas.
The Thackeray legacy
There were three members of the extended Thackeray family in the poll fray, but not all tasted success. While Aaditya Thackeray and his maternal cousin Varun Sardesai — contesting on Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) tickets — won from Worli and Vandre East, respectively, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) founder Raj Thackeray’s son Amit Thackeray lost from Mahim.
‘Seats Were Stolen’: Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress claim
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut expressed concerns over the trends emerging from the counting of votes in Maharashtra. He claimed their political rivals had done ‘gadbad’ to steal Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) seats. He claimed that such results were being imposed because this couldn’t be the decision of the people of Maharashtra.
Raut further questioned the number of seats NCP and Shinde’s Shiv Sena were getting. “This cannot be the public’s decision. In every election seat, money-counting machines were installed. Is it possible that Shinde will get 60 seats, Ajit Pawar will get 40 seats and BJP will get 125 seats? The people of this state are not dishonest. We have their faith in the people of Maharashtra,” Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut told ANI.
