Pawar’s grip over Pune loosens

NCP lost two of the three seats it contested in Pune district giving a jolt to the perceived domination of Sharad Pawar in the region

Pawar's grip over Pune loosens

NCP lost two of the three seats it contested in Pune district giving a jolt to the perceived domination of Sharad Pawar in the region

Kya se kya ho gaya: NCP had contested in Maval, Shirur and Baramati and lost the first two seats. File pic

The results have come as a personal blow to the NCP chief for whom Supriya Sule's victory from Baramati constituency can hardly be any consolation.

Out of the four Lok Sabha seats in Pune district, NCP had contested in Maval, Shirur and Baramati, leaving the Pune city constituency to Congress where sitting MP Suresh Kalmadi won a hard-fought battle in the face of a hostile posture from NCP campaign manager Ajit Pawar.

Both Sharad Pawar and his nephew, Ajit, had conducted a high-pitch electioneering in Pune district, their home turf, where politics at all levels revolves around the family. But they could not stop the Shiv Sena from capturing the two seats of Maval and Shirur.

In Maval, a newly-carved out constituency in the district, the honour of representing it for the first time went to Gajanan Babar of Shiv Sena who defeated NCP candidate Azambhai Pansare. Sena's Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil emerged victorious in Shirur where he trounced NCP's Vilas Lande by a margin of over one-lakh votes.

Ajit caused haar?

Although Supriya Sule won with a margin of over three lakh votes, it failed to cheer the party workers sulking under the two defeats. The NCP sources now concede in private that the aggressive posturing of Ajit Pawar and his abrasive treatment to ordinary party workers had resulted in large-scale discontent within the party.

A controversial selection of candidates too contributed to the NCP woes, they say. Ajit Pawar brought NCP to power in Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) by aligning with the saffron brigade to marginalise Kalmadi-led Congress in the civic body in the much debated 'Pune Pattern' that went against the Congress-NCP alliance at the state and national level.

Kalmadi factor

Besides, he remained at loggerheads with Kalmadi till the end of election campaign and refused to campaign for Kalmadi as an alliance nominee despite Pawar's directive.

Even though he managed to somehow retain the Pune seat, aided by MNS share of around 75,000 votes that cut through the BJP vote bank, Kalmadi lost no time in attacking Ajit Pawar and demanded his resignation on the ground that he (Ajit) being district guardian minister in-charge of the alliance campaign failed to deliver.

Kalmadi even 'thanked' Ajit for not campaigning for him saying his canvassing would have actually led to his (Kalmadi's) defeat as it happened for NCP in Shirur and Maval.

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels