In this episode of Editorial, HW News Managing Editor Sujit Nair opines on speculation about Sharad Pawar-led NCP joining the BJP-led NDA. Mr. Nair speaks about Sharad Pawar's fading and failing political acumen, why allying with BJP is the party's best bet, and what it could mean for Supriya Sule.
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[00:00:00] One way or another, NCP will end up joining NDA or Bharati Ajan Company. NCP, the way it is, it is not a party anymore. It has become a club because it is a party of a lot of leaders. Sharad Pawar's strategy has been failing, failing, fading and failing.
[00:00:25] Namaskar! Welcome to another episode of Editorial. My today's topic is slightly complicated. I will try to express myself to the best of my ability but humor me, hear me out and then you found your opinion.
[00:00:45] You see, Sharad Power is and was known to be one of the best political strategists in this country. Undisputedly, he was known to be the best.
[00:01:03] Somewhere down the line, while Sharad Power is still strategizing, while Sharad Power is still playing his political game like a game of chess, all that is happening. But if you notice, 2014, 2015, 2019 onwards, his strategies seem to be backfiring. That's what I want to talk to you about.
[00:01:33] Let me tell you, 2014. 2014, when he realized that after the assembly election, there was a tussle, a power tussle between Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party. Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party, mind you, in 2014 refused to fight together in the assembly polls.
[00:01:57] They fought separately and when there was this power tussle, to actually make Shivasena irrelevant at that point in time, Sharad Pawar offered his unconditional support to Bharatiya Janata Party in the assembly. And of course, Devendra Fartanavis became the chief minister. Unconditional support. The idea was so that Shivasena becomes irrelevant.
[00:02:22] I think that was the first step he wanted to make towards the BJP because the strategist in him knew that BJP is going to stay for long. But end of the day, it didn't work. It didn't work after some point in time, after some debate, after some kattis and all that. Finally, Shivasena and Bharatiya Janata Party came together. Strategy backfired. 2014.
[00:02:49] Now let's come to 2019. 2019, now it is kind of quite open. 2019, Sharad Power again strategized. Send his nephew, late Ajit Pawar, to Bharatiya Janata Party. He made Ajit Pawar break away from NCP, joined, look like, basically pretend that he broke away from NCP,
[00:03:16] joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, formed the government with Devendra Fartanavis. And then he realized that there is a possibility that he, NCP, with Shivasena and Congress could form the government. He completely, you know, changed the strategy midway, bought back Ajit Pawar and started this Mahavikas Agadi. And that Mahavikas Agadi could only last for two years. They came down crashing and they came down crashing heavily.
[00:03:47] 2019, Sharad Power strategy failed. 2014, 2019, one after another. 2024, after 2024, assembly elections, Sharad Power again, again worked on a new strategy. I believe that the split that happened again in NCP was something with Sharad Power's blessing.
[00:04:15] Sharad Power thought that Supriya Sule could take care of center, Ajit Power take care of state and NCP would be in power. NCP would easily go and join the NDA, that is Bharatiya Janata Party. And that was the strategy that he planned. Somewhere down the line, again like 2014, again like 2019, the plan didn't work here. Because Sunetra Pawar had a mind of her own. And she wanted her sons to grow.
[00:04:45] And all of a sudden, there was a hodgepodge. There was a hodgepodge. The way it was planned as if everything would work, clockwork and things would happen according to Power's plan, didn't really happen on ground. What happened on ground was very different. What happened on ground was Sunetra Power started asserting her power on ground.
[00:05:07] Of course, that also a lot of senior NCP leaders including Proful Patel and Sunil Tatkare who joined the Ajit Power group were unhappy. That too happened. So again, lot of confusion. When it comes to today, the fact remains that one way or another, NCP will end up joining NDA or Bharatiya Janata Party.
[00:05:35] And I say this right after what I heard Miss Supriya Sule tell the press that come hail, come high water, we are going to stay with India Alliance. We will not move to BJP or NDA. I am saying, I am doing this editorial after that particular press conference. So let me reassure you that all eight MPs of NCP, SP and all our MLAs, we stick together. Whatever decision we'll be taking,
[00:06:04] please understand, NCP is a party where Sri Sharad Pawar not only leads it, he invests in everybody and he listens. His biggest strength as a leader that is an amazing listener. Why do I say that NCP will have to join NDA? We'll have no choice but to join NDA. On ground, close to seven MLAs out of their ten MLAs
[00:06:32] are very adamant that they will want to join NDA. They will want to join, be part of BJP. So whether Supriya Sule likes it, whether Sharad Pawar likes it, they definitely will push the party to go to NDA or the chances are SP will see another split. Let me also add, you see Jayan Patil have been meeting BJP, NDA members all over,
[00:07:01] all over Maharashtra. He has had meetings with Mr. Tawde, very senior leader of BJP. He had meetings with chief ministers. He had meetings with lot of NDA members. Now, every meeting, there is a logic given, but end of the day, he has been meeting. Incidentally, he has told his MLAs that it's only if you go to NDA that we'll get development funds and we can ensure that our cooperative,
[00:07:28] our control over our cooperative societies in our respective constituencies are maintained. All this can only happen if you're an NDA. So this is something that reportedly he has been telling his MLAs. That route is already being cleared. And that's precisely what I'm trying to tell you. Eventually, NCP will go to BJP. Now let us come to the MPs, which NDA is very keen on.
[00:07:55] The MPs of Sharad Power, SP, that is NCP-SP. They have eight MPs in the Lok Sabha. So eight MPs, most of them, most of them have their eyes set on joining NDA. For both, power, maybe opposition, and of course, the fact that things, life will be much more easier. I don't want to talk much more about that.
[00:08:23] But most of these people want to join a BJP NDA. Sharad Power today thinks what Supriya Sule today thinks may not matter much. And that is exactly why I said I say this right after Supriya Sule's speech today or Supriya Sule's press conference today. I see this right after that. Because end of the day, it is not that the party is marching according to the leader. No, no, no.
[00:08:50] There is no such strong leadership in NCP anymore. Unfortunately, Sharad Power has grown old. And unfortunately, like I told you, Sharad Power's strategy has been fading. Failing. Fading and failing. So that's where it stands. The thing is, end of the day, even if Supriya Sule decides that she's going to stay with India Alliance. And by the way, let me also tell you,
[00:09:18] if you speak to people in India Alliance, even they would tell you that they are not too confident about NCP staying with them. That is also a fact, especially in Maharashtra. Because they too are of the opinion that possibly an NCP will move. Move on with NDA. So like I said, what I think one way or another is going to happen is somewhere down the line, center, you will see Supriya Sule soon.
[00:09:49] Probably you will see Supriya Sule taking oath one of these days, maybe in the next two months as Union Minister. So she will be established. State, I will still believe, I still believe that Sunetra Power will play a role. And that family, that is the Ajit Power family, will play a role in the state. But whether Sunetra Power will remain, continue to remain the Deputy Chief Minister, not all that, I am not going to kind of conjuncture.
[00:10:18] All that I will not say. But the fact remains that that family will still be in power. Only then will the balance be maintained. And that is how NCP is going to go ahead. Very soon, NCP will merge. NCP will merge. Because NCP, the way it is, it is not a party anymore. It has become a club. Because it is a party of a lot of leaders. There is no top leadership in NCP. There is no control of NCP. Nobody controls NCP now. So when an organization,
[00:10:48] whether it is a political organization or whether it is a corporate organization, doesn't have an absolute control from the top, then that organization starts going in different directions. That's exactly what's going to happen to the NCP. And to save that, it is imperative. It's imperative. It's not even a choice. It's a lack of one actually. It's imperative that they're all bought together into one party. And that party, I see it as Bharatiya Janata Party. Because Bharatiya Janata Party can offer everything.
[00:11:17] What an NCP, MP or NCP office bearer would want. So Bharatiya Janata Party. And life will go on. Whether the powers have the, maintains the same legacy that Sharad Pawar built. Whether Supriya Sule will, will, will carry that legacy. Whether she'll be a tall leader in, in Maharashtra. All that is a big question mark. Will Pawar family be one of the most powerful families in Maharashtra in the future?
[00:11:48] Again, it's a question mark. I'm not denying it. I don't read astrology. But the fact is, the way I see it currently, I see that as a question mark. But the fact remains that for survival, it's a must that NCP and Pawar has to join a Bharatiya Janata Party. And they will. My last point that I wanted to make is about Supriya Suley. Supriya Suley has a certain leaning towards the left ecosystem. When I say left,
[00:12:18] I don't mean communist. I mean the, the India alliance. She has her, her ideology, her, the way she thinks, she is slightly aligned to the, the secular way of thinking, the, the secular ideology. That's what is actually preventing her from being, from jumping to NDA. And that's possibly what's preventing her from kind of trying her level best to stay with NCP and ensure NCP is with the NDA alliance,
[00:12:47] with the India alliance. My apologies. That's what's, that's the effort she is trying to put in. But the way I see it, I don't see her efforts getting her much results. Unfortunate. But that's a fact. This is the point I wanted to make till I see you next time. That's tomorrow at 10. Namaskar.