POLITICS
Youth leader with the Pawar ‘stamp of approval’ — who is Rohit Pawar, NCP’s rising star
- Admin
- Aug 29, 2023
Youth leader with the Pawar ‘stamp of approval’ — who is Rohit Pawar, NCP’s rising star
Grandson of Appasaheb Pawar, Sharad Pawar’s older brother, Rohit had been quietly working in the background. Then, Ajit Pawar rebelled against the party.
On 18 August, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar was preparing to address a
rally
rallyin Maharashtra’s Beed district. Several leaders had already spoken before him, and the master of the ceremony had just called Jayant Patil, the party’s Maharashtra unit chief, on to the stage to talk.
But just as he began talking, the crowd began chanting another name — Rohit Pawar, the NCP chief’s grandnephew and a young politician who has increasingly been seen making headlines.
It was unusual, but not completely unexpected.
Ever since the split in the NCP in July this year when Baramati MLA Ajit Pawar — senior Pawar’s nephew and the uncle of Rohit Pawar — staged a to join the ruling Eknath Shinde-led government, Rohit, who chose to stay back with his granduncle Sharad Pawar, has been in particular focus.
According to political analysts, the young Pawar has evidently been trying to claim some of the space vacated by Ajit Pawar and other senior NCP leaders such as Chhagan Bhujbal, Sunil Tatkare, and Praful Patel. He’s been touring different parts of Maharashtra and preparing the ground for Sharad Pawar’s rallies as the Maratha strongman attempts to consolidate his hold on the NCP’s rank and file.
Ahead of Sharad Pawar’s Beed rally, too, Rohit was on the road, holding smaller meetings with party workers and people across Marathwada for four days, relaying ‘Sahebancha Sandesh’ (Saheb’s message) and overseeing arrangements.
“He got the opportunity quite early on. With Ajit Pawar around, he was relegated to the background but now he is becoming aggressive,” political commentator Pratap Asbe told . “Nowadays, he is very active on social media. He has a good political grasp and he is active during this time of crisis and is making good use of the opportunity that is presented”.
What helps is his grand uncle’s “stamp of approval”, analysts say, which he’s had since the 2019 state assembly elections. At that time, two of Sharad Pawar’s grand nephews, Rohit and his second cousin Parth — son of the now Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar — were trying to make it in politics.
While Parth lost the parliamentary election that year from Maval — the first Pawar to lose an election — Rohit triumphed, beating two-time BJP MLA Ram Shinde in the assembly election held five months later.
“I had many safe options like Pune, Satara, etc. to fight my first election from. I sat with my grandfather (grand-uncle Sharad Pawar) on this,” . “He advised me that if I wanted to just be an MLA, then to choose an easy constituency, or, if I wanted to work for the constituency, then to choose a challenging constituency politically as well as one where there is a developmental challenge.”
Despite his efforts, however, analysts believe, it won’t be easy for him to fill the space that Ajit Pawar has vacated.
“Although Rohit is being promoted by Sharad Pawar, filling the vacuum set by Ajit won’t be easy for him. But one thing is clear that at least somebody is there in the Pawar family to fill that gap. Now whether he will be able to do that or not, the answer will be in the long term,”
It was unusual, but not completely unexpected.
Ever since the split in the NCP in July this year when Baramati MLA Ajit Pawar — senior Pawar’s nephew and the uncle of Rohit Pawar — staged a to join the ruling Eknath Shinde-led government, Rohit, who chose to stay back with his granduncle Sharad Pawar, has been in particular focus.
According to political analysts, the young Pawar has evidently been trying to claim some of the space vacated by Ajit Pawar and other senior NCP leaders such as Chhagan Bhujbal, Sunil Tatkare, and Praful Patel. He’s been touring different parts of Maharashtra and preparing the ground for Sharad Pawar’s rallies as the Maratha strongman attempts to consolidate his hold on the NCP’s rank and file.
Ahead of Sharad Pawar’s Beed rally, too, Rohit was on the road, holding smaller meetings with party workers and people across Marathwada for four days, relaying ‘Sahebancha Sandesh’ (Saheb’s message) and overseeing arrangements.
“He got the opportunity quite early on. With Ajit Pawar around, he was relegated to the background but now he is becoming aggressive,” political commentator Pratap Asbe told . “Nowadays, he is very active on social media. He has a good political grasp and he is active during this time of crisis and is making good use of the opportunity that is presented”.
What helps is his grand uncle’s “stamp of approval”, analysts say, which he’s had since the 2019 state assembly elections. At that time, two of Sharad Pawar’s grand nephews, Rohit and his second cousin Parth — son of the now Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar — were trying to make it in politics.
While Parth lost the parliamentary election that year from Maval — the first Pawar to lose an election — Rohit triumphed, beating two-time BJP MLA Ram Shinde in the assembly election held five months later.
“I had many safe options like Pune, Satara, etc. to fight my first election from. I sat with my grandfather (grand-uncle Sharad Pawar) on this,” . “He advised me that if I wanted to just be an MLA, then to choose an easy constituency, or, if I wanted to work for the constituency, then to choose a challenging constituency politically as well as one where there is a developmental challenge.”
Despite his efforts, however, analysts believe, it won’t be easy for him to fill the space that Ajit Pawar has vacated.
“Although Rohit is being promoted by Sharad Pawar, filling the vacuum set by Ajit won’t be easy for him. But one thing is clear that at least somebody is there in the Pawar family to fill that gap. Now whether he will be able to do that or not, the answer will be in the long term,”
