Faultlines In Mahayuti? Ajit Pawar's Veiled Dig At BJP In Pimpri-Chinchwad Sparks Uncle-Nephew Unity Rumours

Mumbai: In a veiled attack at the BJP in Maharashtra, Deputy Chief Ajit Pawar seemed to lose his temper when asked about the Rs 70,000 crore irrigation ‘scam’, saying that all those who had levelled allegations against him, are now in power with him in the state government.

“You all know that I was accused of a Rs 70,000 crore scam, but all the people who made those accusations are now sitting in the government with me,” Pawar said while responding to a question asked by a reporter at a press conference in Pimpri Chinchwad, Pune on Friday.

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief who has joined hands with his estranged uncle Sharad Pawar ahead of the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) elections, took several such veiled digs at the saffron party. Pawar claimed that the BJP had formed a "ring" in the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation's tendering process and looted a huge amount of money, adding that the party is intoxicated with power and arrogance.

The Deputy Chief Minister also claimed that the BJP, with whom he shared power in the state government, is involved in extortion in Pimpri-Chinchwad, and that he has proof of it.

Without taking any names, Ajit Pawar also questioned BJP MLA Mahesh Landge, asking how some people's properties in the city suddenly increased multifold in such a short time and what was the source of this money. In a scathing attack intended at the BJP, Pawar said that a gang of robbers is roaming freely in the city in broad daylight.

What's Behind Ajit Pawar's Sudden Shift Now?

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar is infamous for constantly shifting his political allegiance in favour of various parties in Maharashtra. He has fallen in and out with the BJP, quite frequently, throughout his political career. However, his most formidable masterstroke came in 2023, when he went against his uncle and NCP founder Sharad Pawar, split his party, and joined hands with the then ruling BJP-Shiv Sena alliance, securing the Deputy Chief Minister post for himself.

The Pimpri-Chinchwad local body polls is the first time, after the split, that both factions of the NCP will fight the elections together. Ajit Pawar has maintained that when it comes to the local body polls close to his political turf, he will fight the polls unitedly with his uncle.

According to political experts, the local body polls around Pune, seems to be a testing ground for the NCP factions, who are now struggling to maintain their stronghold in their familiar pockets, while the BJP is expanding its tentacles throughout the state, even at times, at the cost of its allies' vote share.

It may be deduced that the current attack at the saffron party ahead of the local body polls, may be a political signal at the BJP, to stay away from the Pimpri-Chinchwad region. 

While the BJP formed an alliance with the Eknath Shinde led Shiv Sena, for these local body polls, its ally at the state level, the Ajit Pawar led NCP, was left to fend for itself. Pawar later opted to join hands with his uncle's faction for the Pimpri-Chinchwad polls.

What Was The Maharashtra Irrigation Scam?

The decades-old Maharashtra Irrigation Scam came to limelight when corruption allegations were levelled against the then state government after a 2012 Economic Survey highlighted that the state's irrigation potential had increased minimally, even after Rs 70,000 crore had been spent on various projects related to it. 

A circular was issued which complained that instead of following the scheduled rates fixed by the Irrigation Department, it was making exorbitant payments for raw materials and components. The undivided NCP's Ajit Pawar, was the irrigation minister of Maharashtra during 1999–2009, when the allegations surfaced.

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