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From his Silver Oak power center Sr Pawar shows who is the boss! Ajit and Uddhav cut to size

Mumbai: Finally, after 38 long days of excruciating delays the much awaited portfolio allocation took place on Sunday in Maharashtra. As expected, it has created lot of ripples in the tetrapod of a government as voices of dissent have begun to emerge. It will now be up to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to keep his flock together and run the government.

The allocation of portfolio’s bears an unmistakable stamp of Silver Oak, the residence of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar. It will now be the unofficial power center in the state for the next five years. In deft allocation of portfolio’s the NCP chief has not only cut his own nephew Ajit Pawar down to size, but also has sent a strong message to the puppet Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

The whole exercise was geared towards sending a strong message to Ajit Pawar and his supporters in the party, that anyone going against Pawar senior would not be spared, no matter who he or she may be. By giving insignificant ministries to Ajit Pawar and his supporters in the party, Shard Pawar has cut all of them to size at the same time, he has also underlined that all those who were behind Ajit Pawar during the rebellion would ever be spared. By giving important ministries to his trusted lieutenants the NCP chief has sent a stern message to Ajit Pawar and his supporters.

Those who have been loyal to Sharad Pawar have got the lucrative ministries. The biggest examples are Hasan Mushrif, Anil Deshmukh and Jitendra Awahd. Whereas Dhanajay Munde who was expecting major responsibility in the government, has been forced to be content with just Social Justice ministry, whereas his arch party rival from Beed district Prakash Solankhe didn’t get anything for all the tantrums he threw at the party after Munde was handpicked. Infact, all the supporters of Ajit Pawar have been systematically kept at bay sending a strong message that it is the punishment for going against Pawar senior.

“There is nothing wrong in it. Such indiscipline cannot be tolerated in the party. No one, Including Ajit Pawar, can take the party for granted and go against Sharad Pawar. This is the message for all and sundry,” said a senior NCP leader who did not wish to be named. Awhad and Anil Deshmukh have been loyal to Sharad Pawar and they have been rewarded for the loyalty whereas Dhananjay Munde has paid a very heavy price for going against Sharad Pawar.

It is not just the potential threat within the party, Sharad Pawar has eliminated potential competition from the allies as well, especially Shiv Sena. Though it is Uddhav Thackeray who is seen to be heading the government, it will be Sharad Pawar who will be pulling the strings and make the puppet of a Chief Minister dance to his tunes. The NCP chief has also ensured that many important portfolios are denied and the Sena ministers are left with inferior ones.

Ashwin Aghor
Ashwin Aghor
Editor (Politics and Investigation) - A senior journalist who has 20 years of experience in journalism. He writes on politics, infrastructure and environment. He had worked with English daily DNA and BBC.

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