An editorial in Shiv Sena (UBT)’s mouthpiece Saamana that NCP supremo Sharad Pawar failed to groom a successor has sparked off a war of words within the Maha Vikas Aghadi, the anti-BJP coalition of Maharashtra.
The NCP and Congress slammed Saamana editor and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut, who is a close aide of Shiv Sena (UBT) head Uddhav Thackeray.
In fact, Raut was a bridge between Pawar and Thackeray crafted the MVA comprising NCP-Congress Democratic Front and the undivided Shiv Sena.
However, the editorial in Saamana, a week after the NCP developments - during which Pawar resigned as party president only to take back the position following requests by leaders and workers - came as a surprise. After this, Pawar decided to have a proper succession plan and undertake organisational changes in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha polls.
“…when Pawar announced his decision to step down, many wept, but many of them (who wept) have one foot in the BJP and another in the NCP…however, he failed to create a leadership that would hold the reins of the party after him,” the editorial said.
Reacting sharply, senior NCP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal said: “He has no business to say this…does it mean that NCP should come out of MVA.”