Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and senior Congressman Prithviraj Chavan on Monday reiterated his belief that the BJP high command had decided to make Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar the next CM of the State as it could not hope to face the electorate in the 2024 Lok Sabha election with current CM Eknath Shinde.
Speaking on the premises of the Vidhan Sabha during the ongoing Monsoon Session of the State Legislature, Mr. Chavan also questioned the effectiveness of the anti-defection law, while criticising the main NCP faction under Sharad Pawar for its tardiness in pursuing action against the rebel faction led by Mr. Ajit Pawar.
“The extremely crucial 2024 Lok Sabha contest will decide whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi will remain in power or not. It is my opinion as a political analyst and on the basis of information whose source I cannot reveal, that the BJP high command thinks the party will not be able to face the election with Eknath Shinde. Hence, a decision has been taken to hand over the reins of the State to Ajit Pawar, who is already part of the government,” Mr. Chavan said.
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The Congress leader opined that as Mr. Shinde had not been able to extend his influence beyond his stronghold Thane, the BJP high command was thinking that the party stood a far better chance in the elections next year with Mr. Ajit Pawar as CM.
“It is my thinking that Mr. Shinde and his MLAs will be disqualified by the Speaker [Rahul Narwekar] before August 10 or even sooner as per the Supreme Court’s judgment on the disqualification petition of the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs,” Mr. Chavan said.
The Congress leader said that in keeping with PM Modi’s “use and throw” style, Mr. Shinde’s time was apparently up as his utility to the BJP was over.
“His usefulness to the BJP is over and the party will now decide on the next person who is useful to them,” Mr. Chavan said.
Speculation about Mr. Shinde and the fate of the rebel Shiv Sena camp, which had been swirling since Mr. Ajit Pawar’s startling induction to the ruling government on July 2, has intensified after Mr. Shinde’s two visits to Delhi in less than a week.
On July 22, on occasion of Mr. Ajit Pawar’s 64th birthday, the NCP leader’s supporters put out banners and television advertisements hailing him as the next CM of the State.
A tweet by Mr. Ajit Pawar’s close aide, NCP MLC Amol Mitkari that “the Ajit era had begun” further fuelled speculation on Mr. Ajit Pawar becoming the next CM of the State.
In a veiled jibe at the political drama taking place within the NCP, Mr. Chavan said nobody at the moment knew just who was where in the party.
“Despite a disqualification petition being given to nine Ministers of the Ajit Pawar-led faction, the main party [NCP under Sharad Pawar] does not seem to following it with any urgency and the Speaker, too, appears relaxed on this issue… this just goes to prove the ineffectiveness of the anti-defection law,” Mr. Chavan said.
