INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
NEW DELHI: The split in NCP with the bulk of party MLAs joining hands with BJP and the Eknath Shinde faction of Shiv Sena has put a spanner
in the opposition's efforts to build upon Congress's Karnataka victory to try and engineer an anti-BJP front, while boosting the endeavour
of PM Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah to strengthen the NDA.Ajit 'Dada' Pawar's entry into NDA coincides with the progress Amit
Shah has made towards bringing back crucial MBC and OBC players - Mukesh Sahni of Vikassheel Insaan Party, a party of fishermen and boatmen;
and Om Prakash Rajbhar's Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party - in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.Talks on to bring SAD, TDP, Kushwaha back to NDA
foldTalks are at an advanced stage for the return of Shiromani Akali Dal, Telugu Desam Party and Bihar's OBC face Upendra Kushwaha to the
BJP-led NDA, which a few days ago had inducted Mahadalit leader Jitan Ram Manjhi.NCP's induction comes amid persisting speculation about the
reconstitution of the Union ministry and immediately led many to wonder if Praful Patel, a Sharad Pawar loyalist just like Chhagan Bhujbal
and a surprise face in the breakaway faction, could be inducted along with a nominee of the Shiv Sena's Shinde faction.There is a
possibility that the PM Modi cabinet reshuffle may be effected after President Droupadi Murmu's return to the capital after her three-day
visit to the Vidarbha region from July 4-6 and before PM Modi's trip to Paris on July 13-14
However, the party is still tight-lipped about any rejig plan.BJP celebrated the split in NCP because of its repercussions on the
opposition's unity efforts
"The developments in Maharashtra have blown the lid off the so-called opposition unity
The parties involved in the alliance are singing their own different tunes anyway, the revolt against Sharad Pawar will further undercut the
attempt," a senior BJP functionary said.The BJP leader said AAP's Arvind Kejriwal has already said goodbye to the alliance and TMC leaders
have made it loud and clear that they don't need any alliance in West Bengal
"That's why there is no such thing as opposition unity and the entire NCP family switching over to the NDA has made a mockery of the
opposition's unity plan," the leader said.While the opposition claimed that the induction of several NCP leaders facing graft allegations
had exposed Modi's claim to fight corruption, this did not seem to be a bother in the festivities.Party sources cited media reports claiming
that NCP MPs, MLAs and leaders were left fuming at the manner in which Pawar had accepted the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, and said this
contributed to the division in the party
Sources said that while Ajit Pawar was already unhappy with the organisational changes and Supriya Sule being appointed party chief, he
managed to win over many fence-sitters after Pawar Sr indicated accepting Rahul's leadership
BJP sources asserted that the party had nothing to do with the internal politics of NCP.The party is confident that the wider BJP front will
be the overwhelming favourite for the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra
Pawar's humbling adds to the BJP's happiness
The party has been resentful of what they call Pawar's double-dealings and has pointed out that the Maratha leader, while projecting himself
as an unflinching "secularist", has always been open to negotiate with BJP in exchange for "adequate returns".They cited Pawar's public
offers of support to BJP after the 2014 polls threw up a hung House
Pawar recently acknowledged, after repeated denials, that he did hold power-sharing talks with Devendra Fadnavis after the 2019 assembly
elections and when Uddhav Thackeray, in a surprise move, decided to break the Hindutva alliance
Although Pawar said his secret parleys with Fadnavis were only a ploy, a "double googly" he called it, and that he only wanted to expose the
Maharashtra BJP leader, BJP has maintained otherwise.
