The sudden death of nephew and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar is not just a deep personal loss for Maratha stalwart Sharad Pawar; it is also a major political setback. Ajit Pawar was in the process of reuniting his faction of the NCP with the original party led by his uncle. Such a merger could have triggered another political earthquake in Maharashtra.
In fact, after talks with the BJP over seat-sharing for municipal corporation elections broke down, Ajit Pawar had reached out to his uncle to explore reunification. While he initially wanted the merger to take place before the elections, uncle and nephew eventually decided to move ahead in a phased manner. The first step was to contest the corporation elections together as allies against the Mahayuti. The next step was to fight the district council elections under a single election symbol. They had decided to use the “clock” symbol, which was the symbol of the united NCP before it was allotted by the Election Commission to Ajit Pawar’s breakaway faction following the 2023 split. After this, reunification would have been a mere formality, and both Pawars expected the process to be completed once the elections were over.
Following Ajit Pawar’s tragic death, the reunification plan has been left hanging. No one can say which direction Ajit Pawar’s 40 MLAs will take—whether they will continue as a separate party, move ahead with the reunification plan, or merge with the BJP. Political churn in Maharashtra continues.
It appears that Congress is willing to risk its time-tested alliance with the DMK in Tamil Nadu for Tamil cinema superstar Vijay and his new party, TVK. According to discussions in political circles, Congress is actively trying to woo Vijay—but not for Tamil Nadu. It wants his support to secure victory in the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections.
Vijay is reportedly among the most watched and popular film stars in Kerala, rivaling local icons like Mohanlal and Mammootty. His fan following has established several associations, such as the Kerala Vijay Fan Club and the All Kerala Thalapathy Vijay Fans and Welfare Association. These groups are spread across the state and are active and aggressive. Congress hopes to leverage this network to mobilize support in Kerala elections.
The attempt to secure Vijay’s support began with a phone call from Rahul Gandhi after a stampede at Vijay’s rally in Karur. Gandhi later posted on X in support of Vijay’s controversial film Jan Nayakan, which has been facing hurdles ahead of its release. At the local level, Tamil Nadu Congress leaders are also hinting at a possible alliance with TVK for the upcoming Assembly elections in the state, which are to be held alongside the Kerala elections.
All of this has naturally irritated the DMK, which is waiting for Congress to finalize a seat-sharing agreement so it can launch its election campaign. However, Congress appears to be focusing more on Kerala than Tamil Nadu, where it is a minor player. The party’s insecurity in Kerala is puzzling. There is a strong anti-incumbency wave against the ruling Left Front government. In recent local body elections, Congress performed very well and defeated the Left in several places. Despite this, Congress seems uncertain. Is this because the BJP is making a determined push to gain a foothold in Kerala—a state that has traditionally been bipolar, with power alternating between the Left and the Congress?
There is something about politics that acts like a magnet for film personalities. The latest to fall under its spell is leading Bollywood playback singer Arijit Singh. He has recently announced his retirement from Bollywood and spoken about returning to West Bengal to form a new political party. It is not clear whether he intends to contest the upcoming Assembly elections, scheduled for April this year, which leaves him with very little time for preparation.
However, Arijit Singh claims that he is in politics for the long term and will work at the grassroots level to build his organization. Perhaps he should take a lesson from Prashant Kishor, who, despite working tirelessly for two years in every village of Bihar ahead of last year’s Assembly elections, failed to make an impact. While he managed to draw crowds, he made little electoral headway, and most of his candidates lost their deposits.
