Mumbai, October 1
Is Sharad Pawar behind the rebels of the Nationalist Congress Party who are pitted against the Congress’ official candidates in as many as 70 constituencies across Maharashtra? Well, a lot of Congress leaders here would reply in the affirmative.

In several constituencies, heavyweight leaders of the NCP are contesting as rebels against the official candidates of the Congress, giving rise to speculation that Pawar could have hatched a plot to bring about a hung Assembly after the elections.

“The NCP has not done enough to curb its rebels contesting as independents," said Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Manickrao Thakre.

Apart from Union Industries Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, Thakre has been one of the foremost leaders of the Congress party who wanted to go it alone for the Assembly elections. With NCP rebels poised to hurt the Congress, they seem to feel vindicated, say party sources.

Among the prominent rebels from the NCP camp were outgoing minister Digvijay Khanvilkar, who is facing Congress’ Satej Patil in Kolhapur South. Another former NCP minister, Anil Tatkare, faces outgoing Congress minister Raviseth Patil from Pen. Other prominent NCP leaders in the fray include Prithviraj Deshmukh, who is poised to damage the chances of Congress leader Patangrao Kadam.

Tempers flew after a newspaper carried a picture of Pimpri-Chinchwad mayor Aparna Doke campaigning for NCP rebel Laxman Jagtap in Chinchwad Assembly constituency near Pune. The official candidate is from the Congress. Though Doke denied she was campaigning for the rebel candidate, the Congress is demanding she be expelled from the NCP.

None other than NCP president RR Patil has promised to expel the rebels. However, the Congress leaders opposed to Pawar are not buying the line. “The rebels may be taken back after the elections or they may throw in their lot with the NCP after the elections,” says a Congress leader.

Congress leaders from the state feel that Delhi-based leaders of the party like Digvijay Singh negotiated with rebels from their own side who were poised to upset the NCP's applecart. Several Congress rebels withdrew on the last date for withdrawal.

Incidentally, Singh, who was pulled out of the negotiating team that held talks with the NCP, was hurriedly brought back to Maharashtra after the Congress leadership realised that Pawar could run circles around the party on poll-eve.