During Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Pune for the “Chhatron Ki Goonj” programme on August 22, hoardings put up by Nationalist Congress Party–Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP–SP) legislator Rohit Pawar welcoming Gandhi became a talking point.
His close aides say Rohit has already got in touch with the Congress leadership. The camaraderie between him and state Congress leaders is quite visible. In the past few months, state Congress chief Harshvardhan Sapkal joined protests organised by him on a couple of occasions. “There is no doubt he is inching closer to Congress. For Tawde, this could be the biggest challenge of his life. Some time ago, there were rumours that he could return to state politics in case Devendra Fadnavis shifts to New Delhi in an important position in the Modi government. Last week, during a hearing on a defamation case filed by Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut against former chief minister and BJP MP Narayan Rane in Mazgaon court, the latter’s lawyer proposed a settlement between the two sides.
However, he recently told some of his close aides that he does not see any such chances, with him being in charge of UP, and later expects to be part of the party team handling the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
Amid talk of the Pawar-led NCP (SP) joining the NDA coalition, Rohit was the only leader from the party who publicly said that the party would not go with the BJP. He has opposed any such move in the party’s internal meetings as well, according to party insiders. If the party leadership decides to join hands with BJP, he would be the first NCP (SP) leader to join the Congress,” said a party leader considered close to him.
Pawar put up several hoardings and also slammed the BJP on his social media handle following clashes between activists from the student wings of the Congress and BJP in Pune on the eve of Gandhi’s programme. “The direction of wind in the country is changing… the shop of love is doing splendidly..! Here, it’s not the voice of the heart but the voice of the people that is heard…!” he wrote soon after the programme ended. This has now sparked speculation over whether the grand-nephew of NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar is set to join the Congress in the coming days.
