Politics And Sports Do Go Together, In Maharashtra

Strange political formations are occurring in Maharashtra’s sport arena despite appeals from all concerned that the two should not be mixed. At the centre of these developments are veteran leader Sharad Pawar, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, deputy CM Ajit Pawar and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray, representing the important political parties in the state. Elections to the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) and the Maharashtra Olympic Association (MOA) are due in the near future. For the cricket body, Sharad Pawar and Fadnavis are reportedly in tandem. Pawar’s recent praise of Fadnavis for ‘keeping politics out of sports’ has raised many eyebrows. While these four leaders are insistent for election of their close followers on MCA, another shade is added by another deputy CM Eknath Shinde, who is trying to induct Vihang Sarnaik, son of minister Pratap Sarnaik, the buyer of the first Tesla car in India. Ajit Pawar is peeved since his 13-year tenure as MOA president has come under severe criticism by Union minister of state Murlidhar Mohol and BJP MLC Sandip Joshi. The duo had levelled several allegations, all of which have been refuted by Ajit Pawar, who has pointed out that he is dedicated to the MOA’s interests and that the charges are made by politicians, not by any players. These developments have come at a time when the state is gearing up to hold the local body elections, including in Mumbai and Pune, the centres of the two skirmishes.