By Rahi Bhide
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has successfully built a narrative that its own leaders are as “clean as washed rice,” while leaders from other parties are portrayed as “tainted and corrupt.” If the BJP wants to realize its concept of a “100% BJP India,” it must systematically weaken and discredit its allies — and ironically, its allies’ own missteps are helping the BJP do exactly that.
After allegations and administrative stays on Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s decisions, it now appears that Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar is the next target. The latest controversy — involving land purchases by Pawar’s son Parth Pawar — gives the BJP an opportunity to corner its ally ahead of local body elections.
In the Mundhwa land deal case in Pune, police have registered an FIR against eight persons, including Digvijay Amarsingh Patil, Parth Pawar’s cousin and business partner. However, the police’s selective action has raised eyebrows: Parth Pawar, who owns 99% of the shares in the concerned company (Ammedia Pvt. Ltd.), has not been named in the FIR, while those with just 1% shareholding have been booked.
From meeting the gangster Gaja Marne to alleged irregularities in land transactions, Parth Pawar has repeatedly landed himself — and his politically powerful father — in controversy. The latest case has once again forced Ajit Pawar, known for his aggressive style and administrative efficiency, onto the back foot.
Earlier, a series of inquiries and stays were ordered on decisions taken by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Now, the same pattern seems to be unfolding against Ajit Pawar. Political observers are asking whether the BJP — their coalition partner — is deliberately tightening the noose around him in the run-up to the municipal elections.
The irony is that what the NCP (Nationalist Congress Party) once did to the Congress — systematically weakening it from within — is now happening to the NCP itself under the BJP alliance. During its coalition years with the Congress, the NCP expanded its base by eroding Congress influence in key local bodies. Ajit Pawar pulled control of the Pimpri-Chinchwad and Pune Municipal Corporations away from Congress stalwart Suresh Kalmadi, and even the Pune Zilla Parishad came under NCP’s control. But today, the BJP appears to be doing to the NCP exactly what the NCP once did to the Congress.
In Solapur, several former MLAs aligned with Ajit Pawar — including Rajan Patil and Baban Shinde — have switched to the BJP. Even in sports administration, the BJP has steadily undercut Pawar’s dominance. During the Maharashtra Olympic Association elections, Ajit Pawar was pressured to compromise with the BJP. Though he retained the president’s post, most key positions went to BJP loyalists, and under the agreement, the presidency itself will transfer to the BJP after two years.
Adding to Pawar’s discomfort, one of his close aides, Namdev Shirgaonkar, faced criminal charges and threats of arrest — only to receive interim bail later. But by then, the BJP had already gained control of important posts.
Now, the Mundhwa land scam involving Parth Pawar has exploded in the media. The case revolves around 48 acres of land originally reserved for the Botanical Survey of India — land classified as “Mahar Watan”, historically reserved for community use. This land was allegedly transferred through multiple “Power of Attorney” arrangements, ultimately linked to companies associated with Parth Pawar, who planned to build an IT park there.
Because Ajit Pawar has long held sway over Pune’s administration, necessary permissions reportedly came through with unusual speed. But in the last six to seven years, the BJP has systematically dismantled his control over Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.
Now, as municipal elections approach, the land scam’s timing appears far from coincidental. With even Chief Minister Eknath Shinde promising an inquiry, and revenue department officials already suspended, speculation is rife that the BJP has launched a coordinated strategy to isolate and weaken Ajit Pawar politically.
Of course, it must also be said — as many within political circles admit — that Ajit Pawar’s son himself has handed the BJP this weapon through his questionable dealings.
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