PUNE: Maratha strongman Sharad Pawar finds himself in a challenging position as his nephew Ajit stakes claim to the name and symbol of the party the 82-year-old stalwart formed in 1999.

Just two months after announcing his decision to step down as party chief, Pawar faces the task of rebuilding NCP, especially as his loyal supporters begin to desert him.Some speculate that this rebellion may have occurred with Pawar's blessings, as was the case in 2019.Read AlsoSidelined in party, Ajit Pawar's gameplan to take on uncle Sharad was in works for a yearAjit Pawar had been drafting a strategy to take on Pawar and cousin Supriya for a year, sources said.

NCP leaders said when Shinde was sworn in as CM on June 30, 2022, there was a plan for two dy CMs— Fadnavis - Ajit.

However, it didn’t work out as information was leaked to a top NCP leader.Loss of Praful Patel, his most trusted hand and crisis manager, personal blow to Sharad PawarThe switch made by Patel, considered Sharad Pawar's most trusted ally, one who has never taken a political decision without his mentor's knowledge, is being viewed as a personal setback for the NCP president.

"I am not upset with anybody except Praful Patel and Tatkare," said Pawar.Critics point to Pawar's body language during Sunday's press conference, suggesting that there is more to the situation than meets the eye.

They suspect that Pawar may play another political move, similar to the "googly" he admitted to orchestrating in 2019.Last week, after three years of denial, Pawar, the former BCCI chairperson, admitted that the 2019 coup by Ajit was a "googly" he bowled to expose the "party with a difference" and its top politician Devendra Fadnavis - that they were not averse to having strange bedfellows.

"With the 2024 Lok Sabha polls approaching, he will say the same thing about today's development.

Another googly," a senior NCP member said in Pune.During the press conference, Pawar denied any prior knowledge of Ajit's move to join the Shinde-Fadnavis government as deputy CM.

He claimed that Ajit and the party's MLAs have deviated from the NCP's political ideology.In 2019 too, when Ajit had joined the short-lived Fadnavis government, Pawar was busy putting up a united front of NCP, Congress, and Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena against BJP.

Observers note that Pawar is attempting to strike a balance.

On one hand, NCP leaders facing tax and ED cases can now find relief as part of the ruling coalition, while on the other hand, Pawar continues to build a front against BJP, an NCP politician said."This way, we can buy time, mobilise resources and keep our flock together under Ajit," he said while acknowledging that this strategy may erode the credibility of his party politicians.Pawar has made it clear that he intends to avoid a legal battle over the party's symbol and name with Ajit and others.

When asked about the future face of NCP, Pawar confidently stated that it would still be him.Pawar draws on his past experiences of rebuilding the party after major setbacks, such as when 52 out of 58 MLAs deserted his party after the 1980 state elections.Although some question the viability of rebuilding the party at the age of 82, Pawar remains determined.

When asked "who will be the reassuring face of the party in the future", the octogenarian raised his hand and said: "Sharad Pawar."NCP appoints Awhad as LoP in assemblyNCP appointed Jitendra Awhad as Leader of opposition in the Maharashtra assembly after incumbent LoP Ajit Pawar joined the Eknath Shinde government as deputy chief minister on Sunday.

The development comes amid a close aide of Pawar saying 36 out of 53 NCP MLAs have extended support to the new deputy CM and the numbers could go to 46 in a few days time.

Awhad, MLA from Mumbra-Kalwa in neighbouring Thane district, said NCP state unit president Jayant Patil had appointed him chief whip of the party and LoP in the assembly.03:00Major political coup in Maharashtra, NCP’s Ajit Pawar joins NDA governmentWatchNot 'googly', it is a robbery, Sharad Pawar on Ajit Pawar joining NDA