Sharad Pawar Advances to Form UP-Like Anti-BJP Front in Maha

Pawar has indirectly given an invitation to Shiv Sena’s Uddhav Thackeray to join the anti-BJP front in Maharashtra.

File image of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and NCP Chief Sharad Pawar

(Photo: PTI)

After Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra has the most number of Lok Sabha seats. And hence, taking off from UP, preparations for an anti-BJP front are underway here as well, before the 2019 elections.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar’s statement following the by-election results is cause for concern for the BJP on many fronts. Pawar has indirectly given an invitation to Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray to join the anti-BJP platform. Although there has been no official response from Shiv Sena to Pawar’s invitation, his move has sparked off a raging debate in Maharashtra’s political circles.

Pawar Ready to Play Kingmaker

Speaking on the recently held by-elections across the country, Pawar said the results clearly indicate that the way forward will be difficult for the BJP and such an indication should not be dismissed. He has called for all Opposition parties to unite.

Pawar said:

I would be happy to be instrumental in bringing together like-minded parties before the Lok Sabha elections.

Sharad Pawar along with leaders from other parties at the launch of his autobiography in April 2017. 

Unity Attempts On for Six Months

For the last six months, Pawar has been working to bring all parties together – right from Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray to the smaller parties like Raju Shetti’s Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana or Bacchu Kadu-led Prahar party.

Pawar has held meetings with the heads of these parties multiple times. Further, Raj Thackeray’s speech against Modi came right after he met Sharad Pawar, indicating that an alliance between NCP and MNS in the upcoming elections looks likely.

Pawar Has Rahul’s Support Too

Even on the national level, Pawar appears poised for a major role in uniting BJP’s opposition.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi is also well aware that Sharad Pawar gels well with all parties.

Pawar’s efforts can prove to be key in uniting all the parties against the BJP, which is probably why he has been talking regularly to everyone, ranging from Mamata, Naveen Patnaik, Chandrababu Naidu, Chandrashekhar Rao, Omar Abdullah, to Mayawati and even Akhilesh.

According to sources close to Pawar, efforts and strategies are rapidly being worked on to ensure that they all stay together till the Lok Sabha elections.

Shiv Sena Joining the Opposition Camp Will Change the Picture

If Shiv Sena joins the anti-BJP camp, it won’t take long to change the political scenario in Maharashtra.

The latest example of that is the Palghar by-election, where although the BJP won, if the votes given to Shiv Sena, BVA and Left were to be combined then they would be more than what the BJP got.

It is clear that if Shiv Sena joins the Congress-NCP camp then it will be very difficult for Modi and BJP to have a 2014-like performance in Maharashtra in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray.

There are 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra. BJP has 23, Shiv Sena has 18, NCP 4 and Congress has just 2. BJP and Shiv Sena are together in the NDA, but the relationship between them has begun to sour.

Recently, senior BJP leader Nitin Gadhkari had said that the relationship with Shiv Sena will get better but it seems unlikely that they will contest the 2019 elections together.

(This article was originally published on Quint Hindi.)