Ajit Pawar's sudden death leaves leadership vacuum - what is next for NCP

NEW DELHI: With a career spanning over three decades, National Congress Party chief Ajit Pawar was a towering figure in the politics of Maharashtra. His political competence can be judged from the fact that he was elected MLA from Baramati for a record straight eight terms and held the office of deputy chief minister under four different chief ministers.

The sudden death of Pawar in a tragic plane crash not only left a lacuna in the politics of Maharashtra but also ignited speculations over the future of his party.




According to analysts, NCP is likely to have a leadership crisis as there is no clear second-in-command. Questions also loom over the party's future equation with Sharad Pawar.

Here are the questions which left unanswered after Ajit Pawar's death

Will NCP factions merge?

Two years after Ajit Pawar rebelled and walked away from his uncle's shadow, both factions of the party - Ajit Pawar-led NCP and NCP (Sharad Pawar) - joined hands for the local body polls in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad in Maharashtra.

In the run-up to the polls, Ajit and NCP(SP) MP Supriya Sule also hinted at the permanent merger of both factions in the future.

Talking to news agency PTI, political analyst Prakash Akolkar claimed that both NCP factions are contesting the February 5 Zilla Parishad elections together on the 'clock' symbol, effectively signalling an unofficial merger.

"The question is no longer about who merges with whom. With only two Opposition parties left - Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) - it remains to be seen whether the Congress can revive itself," he said.

However, the united Nationalist Congress Party suffered a massive setback in Pimpri-Chinchwad and Pune municipal elections. In the 165-member Pune Municipal Corporation, the NCP won only 27 seats and NCP (SP) 3 seats against BJP's tally of 119, whereas in the 102-member Pimpri Chinchwad civic body, Ajit Pawar's party got 37 and Sharad Pawar's faction drew a blank, while BJP got 84 seats.

In 2023, Ajit Pawar, along with a group of senior leaders, parted ways with Saharad Pawar and joined hands with the BJP and Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena. He had raised objections over Sharad Pawar continuing to lead the party, despite his old age.

Ajit was sworn in as deputy chief minister under this new alliance. He favoured aligning with the ruling coalition, while Sharad Pawar's faction insisted on remaining with the opposition.

The Election Commission later recognised Ajit's faction as the legitimate NCP, retaining the ‘clock' symbol.

Now, after the recent developments, it would be interesting to see if both factions would still see merit in coming together.

Who after 'dada'?

In a scenario where the party decides not to merge with Sharad Pawar's faction, the void left after Ajit Pawar's death could also lead the party to stare into a serious leadership challenge.

After Ajit Pawar, there is no second-in-command in the party. Ajit Pawar's wife, Sunetra Pawar, is a Rajya Sabha MP and active in Maharashtra politics. However, she lacks administrative experience.

Meanwhile, the party's working president Praful Patel and state NCP president Sunil Tatkare are likely contenders for taking up the leadership charge. However, they lack the statewide grassroots connect that Ajit Pawar commanded.

After Ajit Pawar, Chagan Bhujbal can be considered the only mass-based leader in the party. But he has also taken a step back from active politics due to health concerns.

Who will become deputy CM from NCP quota?

Speculations are also rife over the vacant deputy chief ministerial seat in the Maharashtra cabinet.

Meanwhile, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis will also need to ensure that the 41 MLAs aligned with Ajit Pawar do not drift back toward Sharad Pawar.

If the NCP were to come together, Sule, who referred to Ajit Pawar as "dada", would be the central face as Sharad Pawar is also in a quasi-retired state due to his health concerns.

He also stayed away from the public glare during the recently held local bodies and civic elections

The questions of what is next propped up soon after Ajit Pawar died in the air crash because the NCP is a big player in Maharashtra politics. What happens to the NCP MLAs and the party will have a bearing on the ruling Mahayuti and the course the state's politics takes.

In the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections, BJP won 132 seats, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena won 57 seats, while Ajit Pawar's NCP won 41 seats.

In the recently-concluded civic polls in Maharashtra, the NCP, which contested separately from Mahayuti allies, bagged 167 seats across 29 municipal corporations and was defeated by the BJP on its home ground of Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad, where it had aligned with Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP), which won only 36 seats across the state.