Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar is living up to his reputation as the the ‘canny old man’ of Maharashtra politics, as he queers the pitch for his nephew, the rebel NCP leader Ajit Pawar, and his allies in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by exploiting schisms within the ruling Mahayuti coalition in key seats ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha election.
While Mr. Ajit Pawar — who is expected to field his wife Sunetra as the Mahayuti’s candidate for the high-stakes Baramati Lok Sabha contest — finds himself increasingly isolated within the Pawar clan, Mr. Sharad Pawar now has the BJP in a fix in the crucial Madha and Beed constituencies.
