MUMBAI: Another member of the Pawar family may soon enter electoral politics, as Jai Pawar, the younger son of Sunetra Pawar and former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, is expected to contest in the upcoming Legislative Council elections.
The party leadership is considering nominating Jai Pawar from the Pune local authorities district, which has been controlled by the NCP since 2010, an informed party source told Hindustan Times.
If nominated, Jay will become the third member of the immediate Sunetra and Ajit Pawar family to enter electoral politics after the former deputy chief minister was killed in a plane crash in Baramati on January 28. While Sunetra Pawar has taken Ajit’s place as Deputy Chief Minister and Baramati MLA, her eldest son Parth Pawar was recently elected to the Rajya Sabha.
In the Legislative Council elections scheduled for June 18, the NCP – as the third component of the ruling Mahayoti alliance alongside the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Shiv Sena – is expected to get two of the 16 seats that will go to the polls. Under the alliance’s seat-sharing arrangements, the party is keen to retain the Pune local authorities constituency, which NCP leader Anil Bhosale has represented since December 2010.
Several senior NCP leaders said that Jai Pawar could be kept out of the seat this time, as he is well suited to shoulder the responsibility in Pune.
“If he (Jai Pawar) wants to become active in Maharashtra politics, this is the best option and the right path at the moment,” a senior NCP leader said, requesting anonymity. The BJP will find it difficult to oppose his nomination, the leader said.
According to senior NCP leaders, the elections could provide Jay with an opportunity to build grassroots contact and prove his political mettle. He can focus on Pune and help fill the void created after the death of his father and former NCP chief Ajit Pawar, as Sunetra Pawar has her own limitations, the leaders said.
“Jai can help Vahini in Pune and Baramati. He can handle a lot of essential work, as we all know she cannot travel as widely as Ajit Dada,” another senior leader said.
The leader said that there is currently no heavyweight candidate for the Pune seat. “There is also no need to contest the Rajya Sabha elections, as Parth already represents the family there. Jay’s candidacy for the MLC elections ticks all the right boxes,” the leader noted.
This development is significant as Jay recently spoke publicly about his political aspirations, saying there is a growing demand among party workers and Baramati residents to contest the Assembly elections from Baramati in 2029; Sunetra Pawar MLA from Baramati was elected for the first time during the bypoll after the death of Ajit Pawar.
“The people of Baramati want me to contest the Baramati Assembly elections in 2029. However, as a PP worker, I will continue to work,” Jay Pawar told reporters on April 23.
However, after two weeks, he changed his position.
“During my recent interactions with my colleagues and party workers, many said that they want to see Ajit Dada as chief minister at least once. Now, Vahini (Sunetra Pawar) is working hard. I think she will contest the assembly elections from Baramati in 2029, and we all hope that she will become chief minister,” he said on May 8, in response to questions from reporters.
Jay has already started holding ‘Janata Darbars’ in Baramati, a practice popularized by Ajit Pawar of directly reaching out to people by listening to their grievances and facilitating solutions to their problems.
The Pune local body seat is crucial for the NCP to retain its influence in Pune and its surrounding areas, where the party has been a major player for several decades despite the recent inroads by the BJP. The seat election results also affect the entire western Maharashtra region, which was once an NCP stronghold.
Some NCP leaders have expressed concerns over Jay’s possible nomination, saying it will reinforce the perception that all chances will go to the family as Parth was elected as the new member of the Rajya Sabha only last month.
However, the NCP MLA denied the arrest, saying: “Technically, Vahini (Sunetra Pawar) has replaced Ajit Dada in Baramati and Vahini has been replaced by Parth in Rajya Sabha. So the only addition will be Jai which is bound to happen in the changed circumstances.”
Other contenders for the Pune seat include former legislators Sunil Tengri, Dilip Mohit Patel and Anil Bhosale.
The NCP is also hoping to field a candidate for the legislative assembly elections from Raigad-Ratnagiri-Sindudurg local authority constituency. The seat is currently represented by NCP leader Aniket Tatkare, son of the party’s Maharashtra chief Sunil Tatkare. Aniket Tatkare’s term ends on May 31.
