ALL the churning in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) after the exodus of seven Rajya Sabha MPs, led by Raghav Chadha, has placed sharp focus back on fault-lines within organisations triggered by aspirations of emerging leaders. The defection and subsequent merger of the faction into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) now leaves AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and his kitchen cabinet to deal with several questions about the state of affairs in the party and challenge of staying relevant in national politics.

 

The exodus might look sudden but it was not spontaneous. It was the outcome of months of internal friction where young and bright leaders like Chadha were feeling marginalised. That overwhelming feeling of isolation finally gave way to this defection. Not far away from the national capital, a slightly different reflection of overpowering political aspirations growing into a turf battle is on in Maharashtra too. At the centre of the new political-cum-family drama in Maharashtra is the powerful Pawar clan. Young guns of the family are now on the forefront of a legacy battle in Baramati constituency whose politics has remained the same for almost six decades. The State is now witness to a spicy battle of wits between cousins as the family elders have chosen a purposeful silence. The political pot in Baramati is boiling, signalling an intense battle for 2029 general elections.

 

This new Pawar-Play in Maharashtra was triggered within hours of the shocking death of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on January 28 in a plane crash. Ajit Dada’s untimely exit came at a time when merger talks between the two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) were gaining ground. His death changed the entire dynamics of the merger possibilities and turned it into a strict no-no for Ajit Pawar’s heirs who are craving for their different identity in the family. Now, the insistence on merger is a pressing emotional call from the Sharad Pawar faction as young gun Rohit Pawar goes all out to assert his dominance in the Pawar bastion. It has now turned into a legacy battle, putting the grassroot NCP cadre in a major dilemma, yet again. The Pawar family drama has definitely moved on to the next generation. After Ajit Pawar’s desperate attempts to come out of the massive shadow of uncle Sharad Pawar finally culminated into a vertical split in the party, the story has travelled to ‘who is the most powerful Pawar in Baramati’. Though the Pawars are known for their close family relations away from politics, this time the aspirations of the new crop of leaders are likely to see the ‘friendly fire’ turning into a fierce turf war. Signs of the battle for inheritance are already flashing on Baramati’s political landscape. Jay Pawar, the younger son of late Ajit Pawar, has publicly staked a claim for Baramati seat in next elections.

 

His direct and bold declaration has already ruffled many feathers in both factions of the party. Its after-effects are still rumbling beneath the ground but given the style of operation of the Pawars, the statement will be brought out with huge reverberations in the near future. Jay Pawar’s statement is being seen as a message to Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule about passing the baton to the next generation. It also reflects the anxiety among Ajit Pawar’s sons -- Jay and Parth -- about the growing fame of Rohit Pawar. The Karjat-Jamkhed MLA has been cornering consistent limelight with his demand for a high-level probe into uncle Ajit Pawar’s death.

 

His actions are straight out of the Sharad Pawar playbook but with a new twist. Rohit has been raking up the issue of the plane crash at various levels, coming out with ‘suitably-researched’ presentations about the aviation company and ‘finding’ links of all other political developments with his uncle’s sad demise. On a parallel plane, he is also portraying a united front with aunt Sunetra in matters pertaining to the larger good of the family. It is a copy-paste of the strategy used by Sharad Pawar in his entire political career to stay in the thick of things. The plan is simple: Don’t bother about the outcome, stay in the news to stay relevant. Rohit Pawar’s strategy has stoked fears of losing initial advantage among Jay and Parth Pawar. The latter has already climbed the ladder with a Rajya Sabha seat but the Baramati bastion is too precious for him to be ceded to his cousin.

 

The situation is set to evolve into a family battle, not uncommon in politics around the world. The Game of Thrones has mostly been played between members of the same bloodline. History is witness to many such episodes where political battle is fought between blood relatives. Some have ended in permanent rivalries while a few managed to find a point of reconciliation. However, realisation has always remained a distant point after a long battle of personal ego and vanity. For the NCP’s new generation, the turf fight has just started. It is not only a battle of inheritance within the family but also a battle of survival for both the factions.

 

The NCP (SP) is still hopeful of playing the emotional card to break the group led by Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar. Though in the evening of his life, Sharad Pawar is not done yet. He still possesses many tricks up his sleeve to be implemented through Rohit Pawar and his daughter. Then there is the fear card of the BJP seeking to make in-roads into the family bastion by pitting Pawars against each other. A plate-full of dilemmas awaits the NCP and NCP (SP) cadre in the immediate future. And for the young leaders in both parties, the future holds some long phases of predicament, constant crisis over their individual identity, and dollops of vulnerable moments.