Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Feb 29: Amid talks of an electoral battle within the Pawar family, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar on Thursday sprang a surprise inviting his political rivals for a lunch at his residence “Govindbaug” in Baramati on March 2.
The invitation was issued to the Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and his two deputies, Devendra Fadnavis, and his estranged nephew and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.
Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra Pawar is likely to contest from Baramati Lok Sabha constituency from the ruling NDA against Sharad Pawar’s daughter and sitting MP Supriya Sule of opposition INDIA front.
The trio is to attend the NaMo Maha Job fair organised by Maharashtra government in Baramati on March 2. In a letter to Mr Shinde, Mr Pawar, who was happy at the allocation of a new symbol for his party after the split despite the NCP’s clock symbol was cornered by his estranged nephew, invited the trio to share a meal at his residence since they would be attending the function at his hometown.
Mr Shinde along with his deputies Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, all political rivals of Sharad Pawar, will be attending a job fair, ‘Namo Maharojgar Melava,’ in the premises of Vidya Pratishthan college in Baramati town of Pune district.
The surprise invitation to Mr Shinde and the two deputy CMs by Senior Pawar comes in the backdrop of a split in the NCP, a party founded by him in 1999, and strained ties with his nephew Ajit Pawar, who parted ways with him and joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government in July last year.
There are also talks to Ajit Pawar, who has got the NCP name and symbol following the split, thinking of fielding a candidate for the Baramati Lok Sabha constituency, currently represented by his cousin sister Supriya Sule. The Rajya Sabha MP, in the letter addressed to Mr Shinde, said as president of Vidya Pratishthan, he would be glad to welcome the CM on the premises of the educational institute.
Mr Pawar last week launched his party’s new symbol- ‘man blowing turha’- from Chhatrapati Shivaji’s Raigad Fort. Sharad Pawar was carried on a palanquin up the Raigad Fort.
Recently, the Election Commission of India allotted the new symbol of ‘man blowing turha’ to the party after deciding to give the party’s original name (NCP) and its ‘clock’ symbol to the Ajit Pawar-led faction. The symbol of Sharad Pawar’s new party shows a man blowing a long, curved, trumpet-like instrument in the shape of a reverse ‘C’, decorated with a thread or string.
After the EC’s announcement, Nationalist Congress Party-Sharad Chandra Pawar posted on X that the new symbol with the thoughts of the idols of Maharashtra would shake the throne of the central government. “In the history of Maharashtra, Chhatrapati Shiv Rai’s valour, the Trumpet, which set the ears of the throne of Delhi, is a matter of pride for the ‘Nationalist Congress Party- Sharad Chandra Pawar’ today. With the progressive thoughts of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the idol of Maharashtra, Phule, Shahu, Ambedkar, and respected ‘Tutari’ is ready to blow the trumpet once again to shake the throne of Delhi,” the NCP-Sharadchandra Pawar said.
Speaking about the same, party leader Jitendra Awhad, said the bugle would be blown in the elections and “we will win the battle of ideas.” “This is a good sign for us. Thanks to the Election Commission for this. Because by giving the ‘trumpet’ sign, it has given the message to Sharad Pawar Saheb and his soldiers that you should stand for the war and win,” Awhad said.