In Maha, Sharad Pawar faced outcome of ‘third tactical error’ in political life

When Maharashtra poll results came in on Saturday, Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (SP) found itself bracketed with others and Independents in the Election Commission’s trend tables.

As the last rounds of votes were counted, the severity of the NCP (SP)’s loss hit headlines just as the NDA’s historic win did.

The party managed to win only 10 of the 86 seats that it contested. This marked Sharad Pawar’s worst show in Maharashtra since its establishment in 1998 -- when Pawar and his colleagues Tariq Anwar and PA Sangma quit the Congress over the then party chief Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin issue and formed a split faction.

The NCP (SP) cadres are still absorbing the trauma of the electoral shock, as the party managed to secure a mere 11.28% vote share. Insiders have framed the Maharashtra loss as a result of the third tactical error made by the Maratha stalwart in his long political innings.

“The split in NCP led by Sharad Pawar’s nephew spelt the death knell for the party. Ajit was the real organisation man, who nurtured the NCP and aided his uncle. When the time for transition came, Sharad Pawar chose his daughter Supriya Sule over his Karmayogi nephew. Ajit has now shown who is the real flag-bearer of the NCP. Sharad Pawar misjudged his nephew’s rightful ambitions and has paid for that,” a member of the undivided NCP said, adding that there have been a few other occasions when the Chanakya of the Indian politics misread the tea leaves.

The first was when he made an abortive move to challenge Sitaram Kesri’s election as Congress president in 1997. Sharad Pawar lost miserably, while Kesri walked home, bagging 80 per cent of the votes.

In 1998, when Sonia Gandhi assumed the Congress’ charge, Sharad Pawar again mounted a challenge becoming the prime mover of her foreign origin issue. Pawar again lost the plot after the Congress comprehensively backed Sonia for the post.

3 miscalculations of Maratha Stalwart

• In 1997, Sharad Pawar challenged Sitaram Kesri’s election as the Congress president, but lost miserably, while Kesri bagged around 80% votes.
• In 1998, when Sonia Gandhi assumed the Congress’ charge, Sharad again mounted a challenge but lost the plot after the Congress comprehensively backed Sonia for the post.
• He soon quit to form the NCP, which suffered a split in July 2023 after he signalled passing the baton to his MP daughter Supriya.

He soon quit to form the NCP, which itself suffered a split in July 2023 after he signalled passing the baton to his MP daughter Supriya and an exodus followed.

Although the NCP (SP) posted a heartening performance in the recent Lok Sabha polls, senior Pawar’s real test, party leaders said, was the Assembly poll, where he faltered.

There are, however, others in Indian politics, who refuse to write off the Maratha strongman, who has served as a seven-term member of the Lok Sabha and is into his second term in the Rajya Sabha currently.

A senior Congress stalwart, who has followed Sharad Pawar’s life, says one can never write obituaries in politics. “Don't forget the level of pragmatism Sharad Pawar can practise,” the leader said, recalling the turn of events in 2004 when he happily became part of the Sonia Gandhi-led UPA coalition at the Centre.

Old-timers in the Congress say Sharad Pawar was so practical at the time that “he did not even bid for any of the four top ministries and settled for agriculture”.

This was quite a compromise for a man who long harboured prime ministerial ambitions that never got realised.

Late Pranab Mukherjee also pointed out in his book ‘The Coalition Years’, “His (Sharad Pawar’s) role and position in Maharashtra politics notwithstanding, one of Sharad Pawar’s lasting regrets has been that he has often been the bridesmaid, never the bride, when it came to national politics.”

With yesterday’s results, Sharad Pawar seems to have lost his prominence as the top regional player in the Maharashtra politics too. That is, of course, until the Chanakya of national politics bounces back.

Split turned NCP’s death knell

“Ajit Pawar was the real organisation man, who nurtured the NCP and aided his uncle. When the time for transition came, Sharad Pawar chose his daughter Supriya Sule over his Karmayogi nephew. The consequent split in NCP, led by Ajit Pawar, spelt the death knell for the party.” -- a member of the undivided NCP