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'With one fell swoop he (Sharad Pawar) won the sympathies of the NCP workers at the grassroots, his own flock of MLAs and bolstered his position as the NCP chief.'
A senior Shiv Sena leader and Cabinet minister in the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis led government told Rediff.com that the June 2022 split in the Shiv Sena could have been averted had the then chief minister and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray resigned as the party chief as well as offered to resign as the chief minister.
Interestingly, this minister, who holds a position of influence among several MLAs in the Eknath Shinde camp, expressed the possibility of the rebels coming back to the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) if Thackeray purges the influence of his Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut.
"He knew almost six months ago (in early 2022) that several Shiv Sena MLAs were not happy about their alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party and Congress. I was among one of those who had cautioned him about the restlessness among us," says this Cabinet minister, requesting his name not be revealed.
"Hech tar Uddhav sahebanni karayla hava hota... Party vachli asti ((if only Uddhav saheb had resigned like Pawar the split in Shiv Sena could have been averted). See how smartly Pawar saheb has saved his party from going the Shiv Sena way," he says, sounding remorseful about the split in the Shiv Sena.
"Pawar saheb knew that Ajit dada (Sharad Pawar's nephew Ajit Pawar) and his band of loyal MLAs were all set to split the party. With his (Pawar's) resignation and the subsequent resentment it caused among NCP voters and workers, Pawar ensured that these MLAs would realise that they can enjoy the perks of power only till 2024 if they joined hands with the BJP; the NCP voter and worker would solidly remain behind the NCP patriarch," he adds.
"This is the second time Pawar saheb has checkmated his nephew's plans to join hands with the BJP (the first attempt by Ajit Pawar to form a government with the BJP came to nought within three days of oath taking by Ajit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis in 2019). With this resignation act he has sent a message not only to those MLAs loyal to Ajit dada but even to those who are fence-sitters in the NCP."
"With one fell swoop he won the sympathies of the NCP workers at the grassroots, his own flock of MLAs and bolstered his position as the NCP chief," he adds.
"I wish Uddhav saheb too had done a drama like this; Shinde sahebancha vishayach sampoon gela asta (none of the MLAs would have dared to desert Thackeray and go along with Eknath Shinde to form a government with the BJP)."
"This is the difference between Sharad Pawar and Uddhavji. He (Thackeray) should at least learn these tricks from him (Pawar)," he says.
This minister was hopeful that if Thackeray reins in Shiv Sena's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut's influence over him, then the rebels would still think of going back to him.
"Sanjay Raut yancha kahi tari kela pahije sahebanni; tyancha muskaat aval-la pahije sahebanni (Uddhav Thackeray must rein in Sanjay Raut; he must purge his influence in party politics). But he has made Raut his blue-eyed boy," he says.
"The situation in Maharashtra politics has come to such a pass that only time will tell which MLA would join which party to get a ticket to contest the 2024 (assembly) election. Just wait and watch the fun when we come to the bridge (2024 assembly elections)."