INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
NEW DELHI: Congress is livid at Sharad Pawar for not shutting out Ajit Pawar after his aborted defection to the BJP camp in 2019, blaming
the NCP supremo for the present setback to MVA just when the allies thought they would overwhelm BJP in Maharashtra, which has 48 Lok Sabha
Top party sources said Pawar Sr could have cut out his nephew when he was at his most vulnerable, but Pawar took him back with his standing
intact."Ajit always looked like playing tango with BJP
This was waiting to happen at some moment
Why did Pawar not shut him out completely in advance?" a key Congress manager asked
The exasperation in Congress reflected the disappointment that NCP split constitutes for the alliance.NCP split deflates Congress optimism
over prospects in MahaCongress is livid at Sharad Pawar for not shutting out Ajit Pawar after his short-lived and aborted defection to the
BJP camp in Maharashtra in 2019
The opposition has been harbouring high hopes from Maharashtra where, on the evidence of political battles and byelections, they expected to
sweep the state and bring down BJP's national tally substantially
Maharashtra and Bihar, which BJP swept in the 2019 polls, have been the focus area of a galvanised and uniting opposition
The concern is that Maharashtra may have broken from that axis of hope, with NCP cleaving into two.However, the development has not deflated
the optimism in Congress completely, given that ally Shiv Sena too broke up last year in favour of BJP, but has since held its own
A senior Congress manager said while the majority of elected members at all levels left with chief minister Eknath Shinde, the cadres have
stayed with the Uddhav Thackeray-led rump - a reason why BJP has not been able to muster the courage to hold elections to the coveted BMC
even a year after coming to power, while it is also going slow on byelections to some other seats.Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge,
Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi called up Pawar to get a grip on the tumultuous events, the party has confidence that the veteran commands the
loyalty of his workers, and can turn it around
There are examples like the Satara Lok Sabha contest in 2019, and the assembly polls where BJP's hopes of reaching close to the majority
alone were belied big time
They are also counting on the sympathy factor for the Maratha strongman in the evening of his career
"We have a regular feedback mechanism
But we are confident that it will not be a big loss for the alliance," a party strategist claimed.Mamata dials NCP chief, JD(U) says oppn
unity intactWest Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee was among the prominent faces of the anti-BJP bloc to call Sharad Pawar on Sunday and reassure
BJP turned the tables on MVA in MaharashtraWatchNot 'googly', it is a robbery, Sharad Pawar on Ajit Pawar joining NDA
