Maharashtra Assembly Elections: Sharad Pawar targets BJP, Ajit Pawar NCP ahead of polls

Sharad Pawar, who will turn 84 in December, lost the party he founded but never his spirit. With polls round the corner, the NCPSP chief has started making a dent in Maharashtra BJP and nephew Ajit Pawar-led NCP, the party founded by the octogenarian.

On Tuesday, Sharad inducted BJP MLC Samarjeetsinh Ghatge, a Kolhapur royalty, into NCPSP. Ghatge will contest against Hasan Mushrif (NCP) in Kagal.

Sharad is busy exploiting the fault lines in the Ajit camp and BJP. During Lok Sabha polls, Sharad realised that Vijaysinh Patil, who was in BJP, was at loggerheads with BJP MP Ranjeetsinh Nimbalkar. Sharad lured Dhairyasheel Patil, Vijaysinh's nephew to NCPSP and gave him a Lok Sabha ticket. Vijaysinh's influence ensured a smooth victory for the NCPSP candidate.


Sharad is touring the state and is on the lookout for NCP or BJP leaders ready to switch sides. "Due to BJP's alliance with Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde, only a few seats are left for ticket aspirants. Ghatge wanted to contest from Kagal. When he realised that BJP had allotted it to NCP, he decided to switch," a leader said.

Harshvardhan Patil, another BJP leader, may soon join NCPSP. Patil wants to contest from Indapur. But Ajit's loyalist Datta Bharne doesn't want to give up the seat. Patil has signaled that he will quit and join NCPSP if he is not allotted the seat. Taking a cue, Sharad met Patil a few days ago.

"The real game will begin once ruling parties decide their seat-sharing plan," said an NCPSP leader, adding that Sharad Pawar is in touch with at least 15 MLAs/leaders of NCP and BJP.