Ajit 'missing' in Mahayuti posters

Clash with BJP over Nawab Malik's candidature tip of the iceberg

- Rohit Chandavarkar

Quite abruptly, Maharashtra Deputy CM and NCP chief Ajit Pawar's face is conspicuous by its absence in the campaign material of the BJP-led Mahayuti.

Not just in Pune, but even in western Maharashtra, where Ajit Pawar hails from.

The posters and hoardings put up by the Mahayuti only carry PM Modi, CM Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis's name and face; even the video advertisements released by the ruling political alliance on regional television, to publicise the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, do not feature Ajit Pawar's face with the others at the end of the reel.

This is perhaps a reflection of the tension and stress between the BJP and Ajit Pawar in the last few days. The BJP officially declaring on Wednesday that it would not campaign for the NCP candidate Nawab Malik is perhaps the tip of the iceberg.

Over the last few days, Ajit Pawar has been heard saying in various rallies, "I have not given up my commitment to the path of Phule, Shahu and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar," a phrase often used by politicians to describe their commitment to secularism and their left-of-centre position.