"Parties, Leaders Abandoning Ideologies": Ajit Pawar's Last Big Interview

In one of his final interviews NCP faction leader Ajit Pawar - who died Wednesday morning in a plane crash near Baramati - lamented the evolution of the political landscape in the country, telling news agency PTI parties and leaders were increasingly 'abandoning their core principles'.

The Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister expressed concerns over what he called 'a steady erosion of ideological commitment' and the use of pressure tactics to persuade, if not bully, rival leaders - particularly those considered 'favourites' to win elections - to switch sides.

"Lately, parties have almost abandoned their respective ideologies… (and) leaders are going anywhere and doing whatever they feel," he said, referring to unnamed instances of politicians being 'poached through inducements' or 'pressured by highlighting pending inquiries against them and assuring (them) that probe agencies will be 'managed' after the switch'.

"Those who have money and muscle power are using it… those who feel that votes can be sought by raking up caste issues are adopting that tactic…" he said, responding to a question on frequent defections by party leaders before civic body polls in Mumbai and across the state.

Pawar, in a moment that underlined his political acumen, also pointed to the numbers-backed manner in which parties assessed candidates for election tickets, a trend, it could be argued, that emerged after poll strategist Prashant Kishor rewrote the book on campaign management.

These candidates, he said, were no longer being picked on the basis of development work for a constituency or segment, but on one hard truth alone - are they popular enough to win?

"Surveys are now being used to check who is the most popular candidate in a particular area… if the person belongs to the opposite party, then efforts are made him to poach him or her…"

Pawar's lamentations were significant for many reasons, including for the manner in which his own political career played out since 2023, beginning with the break from uncle Sharad Pawar's side and the splitting of his Nationalist Congress Party before allying the 'rebels' with the BJP.

For it did not go unnoticed that in 2019, days after his first attempt at breaking from Sharad Pawar's side, nine cases, including an alleged Rs 25,000-crore bank scam, were closed.

And in December 2024, days after the Mahayuti scored a thumping win in the state election, aided by 41 seats won by Ajit Pawar's new NCP, a 2021 income tax-related case was dropped.

But the more immediate significance was the apparent fracture in ties with the BJP after the national party shuffled Ajit Pawar and his NCP to the side for the prestigious Mumbai civic body election.

Left fuming, nephew turned to uncle and the Pawar clan reunited to defend its political strongholds - Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad - from the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Ajit Pawar led that campaign himself, mounting ferocious attacks against his ally-slash-rival, including accusing them of a "lack of vision" that led those two civic bodies into a "crisis".

As it turned out, however, those denouncements weren't anywhere near enough.

The BJP scored big wins and took control of both municipal bodies, and Ajit Pawar had to, again, play nice with his 'big brother', returning to its side and his Deputy Chief MInister's office.