NCP leadership crisis: Ajit Pawar leaves Maharashtra politics in turbulence

“Ajit Pawar’s untimely demise has created such a void in Maharashtra’s politics that it will not be filled for a long time,” Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Thursday (January 29, 2026). The statement is true in more than one sense. The loss of a mass leader who commanded a strong position in Maharashtra’s politics, has effectively created a possibility of a tripolar Mahayuti being turned into a bipolar alliance, with only Eknath Shinde emerging as a strong regional force on Maharashtra’s political landscape.

For NCP, which has garnered its legislative strength on the basis of its rural voter base primarily in western Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar was the mass leader who held a clout and heft within a party which is a conglomeration of regional satraps brought together under one umbrella.

“His leadership was acceptable to everyone. He held everyone together and the party functioned smoothly. I don’t know what will happen now,” a senior leader said. With his demise, each satrap will likely have his own individual aspiration.

While both the factions of NCP have spoken of the reunification of the parties and of Pawar family, that path isn’t easy either. There are two big questions which will have to be answered. One NCP is already a part of the ruling alliance of Mahayuti, and is firmly sitting as an NDA partner. Will Sharad Pawar decide to leave the secular credentials to join hands with the BJP, is the first question. And whether the BJP will want to trust Sharad Pawar the way it trusted Ajit Pawar is another question.

“It is a writing on the wall. Both the NCPs will reunite and Pawar Saaheb will go with the BJP. There is no INDIA Bloc, no Maha Vikas Aghadi,” a Congress leader said.

Another senior leader said that the sudden demise of Ajit Pawar had raised questions on the future of Pawars’ leadership, and the fate of a regional party like NCP.

While leaders across the spectrum said that it is Sharad Pawar who will take a call for deciding the future of the parties, the internal family and political dynamics within NCPs will also be a key factor. Parth Pawar, Ajit Pawar’s son, is a political novice. Supriya Sule has been in national politics. Sunetra Pawar is likely to emerge as the dark horse, party sources indicated. But questions remain on whether she will be able to hold the party together strongly, the way her husband Ajit Pawar did. Rohit Pawar, though a bit more politically experienced than Parth, is unlikely to be a unanimous choice, said party sources.

“One of the possibilities is also that the senior leaders might leave the party and join the BJP, amid this entire flux,” said renowned journalist P. Sainath.

“The merger decision isn’t a decision of the two parties alone anymore. The BJP top leadership will also have to be taken into confidence for it,” a senior leader said.

The untimely demise of Ajit Pawar is slated to have long term implications on Maharashtra politics.