According to reports, the bjp made the attempt to enlist a nationalist congress party (NCP) group led by ajit pawar in a practical ruling coalition in maharashtra in order to increase its prospects of winning the lok sabhaelections the next year. An alliance like this, however, might contradict the BJP's efforts over the past few years to produce leaders who can compete with ncp bigwigs on their own turf and to develop a narrative that challenges the "Maratha-dominated" politics of the NCP.
Central investigative organisations like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) are also looking into some of the nine Ajit supporters sworn in on July 2 for possible irregularities and money laundering. In order to counterbalance the Maratha-centric politics of the ncp, the bjp has developed OBC leaders. This is a component of the "Madhav formula" developed by Vasantrao Bhagwat, the former general secretary of the state bjp, who developed a generation of OBC leaders in the 1980s, including Gopinath Munde (from the Vanjari tribe), N.S. Pharande (from the mali group), and Anna Dange (from the Dhangar community). Through the use of social engineering, the bjp was able to dispel the notion that it was a party predominately made up of upper caste individuals like Brahmins and Banias.
As an illustration, the bjp supported Gopichand Padalkar, an MLC and representative of the Dhangar (shepherd) community, in his campaign against the Pawars. In the Baramati assembly constituency against Ajit in 2019, Padalkar, a former leader of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), a platform established by former lok sabhamp and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar's grandson Prakash Ambedkar, lost by a significant margin. In addition, Padalkar was renowned for his vicious personal assaults on the Pawar family and was anticipated to fight Ajit in the 2024 maharashtraassembly election.
After the maratha community, the Dhangars, who include both settled farmers and pastoralists, are thought to be the second largest caste cluster. The Dhangar community is well-represented in the Baramati lok sabha constituency, which is held by ncpleader Sharad Pawar's daughter supriya Sule. Due to the challenge put forward by Mahadeo Jankar of the Rashtriya Samaj party, a partner of the bjp, Sule's victory margin shrank to just over 70,000 votes in 2014. Jankar is a member of the Dhangar neighbourhood.
According to a senior bjpleader, the party had already made preparations to unseat Sule from the Baramati seat and may now run Ajit's elder son Parth against Sule. Disillusionment among bjp functionaries and workers may also result from the turn of events; these individuals have long battled against the power of seasoned ncp leaders and may still be at odds with them even if these ncp members defect to Ajit's side.
In a same vein, Hasan Mushrif of the ncp, who took the oath of office alongside Ajit, is up against a determined bjp opponent in the Kolhapur district of Kagal. Son of previous mla Vikramjitsinh Ghadge and a descendant of Kagal's former royal dynasty, Samarjitsinh Ghadge had challenged Mushrif for the seat. Mushrif, a Muslim, was prosecuted by the ED for alleged money laundering after being elected from a Marathas-dominated seat.
"Despite the BJP's projections, things might not turn out for them and the ncp rebels the way they had hoped. In their electoral districts, the bjp has fierce hostility to ncp leaders like Mushrif. The outcome of this politics of action and reaction will determine a lot, according to a sharad pawar confidant. Ajit is uneasy among bjp elites like ex-NCP member and Satara royal family scion Chhatrapati Udayanraje Bhosale, a rajya sabha member. Kirit Somaiya, a former Mumbai-based mp for the bjp who later defected to the Eknath Shinde camp, led the accusation against Mushrif and numerous other ncp and shiv sena politicians.
The ED is said to be on the tails of at least three of the nine MPs who took the oath of office alongside Ajit. This also includes Raigad-Ratnagiri mpsunil Tatkare, Mushrif, Chhagan Bhujbal, and Aditi Tatkare, who was also appointed to the Eknath Shinde government. Praful Patel, a former union minister and the working president of the ncp, is reportedly also being investigated by the ED. This could raise unsettling concerns about whether the charges brought against these ncp officials will be softened in exchange for their backing of the BJP.
In addition, late last month, prime minister Narendra Modi accused the ncp of corruption and cited claims of fraud at the NCP-controlled maharashtra State Co-operative bank (MSCB) and corruption in irrigation projects while the party controlled the water resources portfolio. party leaders, who were already being scrutinised by the ED, now have more reason to be anxious, according to Sharad Pawar. Fingers had been pointed at Ajit, who served as Maharashtra's water resources minister for a sizable portion of the congress-ncp rule, and later at his aide sunil Tatkare, who took his place.
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