As Ajit Pawar grows wings, Delhi is just a flight away

In his new role as the national president of the NCP and a valued ally of the BJP – not to mention husband to new Rajya Sabha MP Sunetra Pawar – Ajit has joined the ranks of the Capital’s semi-permanent residents.

And as luck – and some would say, more – would have it, Sunetra has been allotted a bungalow right opposite Sharad Pawar’s residence in Delhi. As a first-time MP, she is normally not entitled to the Type-VII bungalow, the second-highest category of government accommodation. But, as a Rajya Sabha source said, both the Chairman and the House Committee chairperson can allot houses higher than the category a member is entitled to.

The extra room has come handy as Ajit flies down frequently to hold talks with the top BJP leadership, earlier for seats ahead of the elections and now for Cabinet portfolios. This is despite the presence of at least two senior NCP colleagues in Delhi – Rajya Sabha MP Praful Patel and Lok Sabha MP Sunil Tatkare.

Prior to the NCP split in July 2023, Ajit often reiterated his preference for state politics. “Supriya (Sule) is in the Lok Sabha, Saheb (Sharad Pawar) is in Delhi, and I am in Maharashtra,” he was fond of saying.

When Ajit did come to Delhi, it was largely in his capacity as Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister in Congress-NCP governments, for official business, or sometimes to attend party events.

Ajit was never seen on the dais with his uncle and then NCP president Sharad Pawar at any of the UPA meetings, nor would he take up questions on national politics during his press conferences.

The first signs of the change came after he split the NCP and took a big chunk of the party with him, before joining the BJP-Shinde Sena government in Maharashtra. Since then, bargaining with the BJP over various issues has kept bringing Ajit to the Capital.

Recently, he mingled freely with mediapersons in Delhi, having detailed talks with them, answering all their queries. It was a first for the NCP leader in more ways than one, as he is not one to let his guard down.

In the past two weeks, the Cabinet discussions have seen Ajit make two visits to Delhi. Soon after his first visit, which he said was to check out the bungalow allocated to Sunetra, the Income Tax Department cleared properties worth over Rs 1,000 crore that were seized from him and his relatives in 2021. This was after the Prevention of Benami Property Transactions Appellate Tribunal dismissed accusations that these were benami properties.

Ajit’s second visit was Thursday, when he dropped in at Sharad Pawar’s residence to wish him on his birthday, along with his family members and party leaders. He also visited Parliament to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

One reason behind these frequent Delhi visits is the game of one-upmanship between BJP allies in Maharashtra, with Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde, who earlier reluctantly accepted to become Deputy CM along with Ajit, bargaining hard for prime portfolios. Shinde is believed to have a good rapport with the BJP Delhi leadership, and Ajit – who is seen to be more close to CM Devendra Fadnavis – would want to change that.

An NCP leader said: “Ajit Pawar is the national president of the NCP. He is the final authority within our party. What is wrong if he is travelling to Delhi to discuss things with other allies?”

A senior MLA of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP faction said: “Ajit Pawar cannot get his demands accepted sitting in Mumbai. There is nobody to do that on his behalf… He needs to personally oversee Shinde’s moves as well.”