Pawar Play: The art of saying goodbye without leaving

Raju Korti
I first bumped into Sharad Pawar way back in 1975 in Sangli when I was pursuing my second year in Engineering. I was 19, and he at 34 was emerging as a promising young politician under the tutelage of the astute Yashwantrao Chavan. In the prosperous Western Maharashtra belt, powered by its cooperative movement and influential agrarian leaders, Pawar appeared as a face of a new era -- a striking figure in Ray Ban sunglasses and blue jeans, carrying a dash of flair and a fairly impressive knowledge of Marathi Literature. As the years passed, he evolved effortlessly into a shrewd leader with an uncanny ability to attract the masses. Yet, his early image of youthful dynamism gradually gave way to a reputation for strategic cunning and complex political manoeuvring that would become his hallmark.

As the young man in his stylish avtaar walked with a confident gait and an assured demeanour, I could see he was markedly different from the seniors in his league -- Sangli's sugar baron Vasant Dada Patil, Walve's sugar baron Rajarambapu Patil and Shirol's Ratnappa Kumbhar. But little did I have an inkling that he would leave them all behind one day -- for good and bad reasons. 

This rather longish preamble of history is necessitated in the view of what I have to write about him today, although those who have seen him all these years, would see through him and his penchant for political machinations, as nothing surprising. The 83-year-old Nationalist Congress Party leader today hinted at retirement from active politics, stating that he may not contest future elections. He expressed his intentions to pass on the party baton -- particularly the progress of Baramati -- to his successor Yugendra Pawar. Speculations over Pawar's final innings in electoral politics have been circulating for some time now, and was raked up again by nephew Ajit Pawar.  

The Pawar Vs Pawar fight for Baramati might be seen as a referendum on Sharad Pawar's continuing influence over voters, as it sees his grandnephew Yugendra Pawar, do a battle against nephew Ajit Pawar whose rebellion forced a split in NCP. The fact, however, is it is not about his fighting further electoral battles but about his leadership. His hint of stepping away from active politics after his current Rajya Sabha term sparks questions about the authenticity of his statement, especially given his past record of unpredictability in critical political moments. All along, he has skilfully pivoted on similar retirement pronouncements before, keeping both allies and adversaries on the edge and guessing. 

Pawar's narrative of passing the torch to younger leaders, specifically positioning Yugendra Pawar for Baramati, could well be another strategic move to rally his support base amid the purported family rift triggered by Ajit Pawar. Remember, the stories of the nephew being planted in the Devendra Fadnavis' camp during the early morning swear-in and how he (the nephew) pulled the rug from under Fadnavis' feet and returned to his party fold before the incumbent chief minister had even managed to rub his sleep-deprived eyes.

Pawar's political conduct is such that people are forced to read something into it even when there is none. The timing of Pawar's statement to bow out of active politics coinciding with Ajit's defection and the upcoming assembly elections, raises a legitimate talking point: Is this a genuine exit or yet another tactic to consolidate the NCP's legacy under his proxy successors. Better still, another ploy to throw dust in the eyes of his adversaries; always unable to read his wrong 'uns.

It would not be altogether surprising that given his past hints, his retirement announcements might be a calculated manoeuvre to command greater authority over his party's trajectory. His refusal to retire during the 2023 NCP split, when he famously declared "Na tired hu, na retired hu", displayed a characteristic resistance to being sidelined -- especially by familial dissenters. When he announced his resignation as party chief last year, it was retracted as swiftly, illustrated his penchant for leaving his audience guessing.

In that light, Pawar's latest remarks could well serve his intentions of killing several birds with one stone: appeasing for generational leadership change, asserting his influence within the NCP amid Ajit Pawar's blow-hot-blow-cold power play, and perhaps most importantly, creating space for his allies without formally stepping down. The political chessboard he has crafted shows he has mastered the art of remaining in the game, even if he hints otherwise.

In politics, retirement is less a final act and more of a recurring plot twist. So, as Pawar hints at his last bow, there is every reason to surmise that it could be just another intermission before the next act. After all, in the grand theater of Sharad Pawar's career, curtains quite never close. They just get dramatically drawn back. Come rain or no rain.