If it was so, then, what led Ajit Pawar to come out with a clarification? Because, firstly, he did not talk to the media in Delhi, but later tweeted his reaction. Leaving the meeting, he headed for the airport and could not be reached over the phone till he landed in Pune. Secondly, a video clip that showed him sitting at a distance from the dignitaries added to the rumours of him being sidelined. In fact, before shifting to the extreme flank, he had been seated almost in the middle, next to the big leaders, but later gave up his chair for a senior MP hailing from the other state. “It was a gesture of showing respect, but it went unnoticed,” said Ajit Pawar’s aide, shifting the blame for misleading information on the media bias, unmindful of the fact that Ajit Pawar could have assessed what was coming his way and prevented what he later thought was misleading reporting, by quickly talking to the media in Delhi. 

Also, it wasn’t the first time that Ajit Pawar met with such a situation. It happened when he skipped the media conference at which Sharad Pawar withdrew his resignation in May. There had been instances even before that found Ajit Pawar in the headlines, especially when it boiled down to the Pawar family. Clarifications had been given whenever the family chieftains deemed it fit. Saturday was no different. More focus was on Ajit instead of the new appointees. In the future, it is more likely that the speculations of a rift won’t stop, perhaps intensify further because the NCP’s new set-up is productive for internal politics, skirmishes and disagreements. 

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Ajit Pawar has underlined his interest in Maharashtra. Many say his ultimate wish is to be the CM of the state that has kept the party kicking and brought it up in the reckoning yet again after its revival during the MVA regime. Ajit was rehabilitated by his uncle despite a failed coup in 2019. It had been a testing time for the four-time DCM ever since. Eknath Shinde’s break-up with Uddhav Thackeray had shocked many because they had been expecting either the NCP or the Congress to split to put the MVA down. As the talks of Shinde’s downfall began early this year, Ajit shot to the fore yet again, with speculators projecting him as the BJP’s next associate. Henceforth, it will be interesting to see how he copes up with the new organisational arrangement.

Dharmendra Jore is political editor, mid-day. He tweets @dharmendrajore

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