Early last month, NCP leader Narhari Zirwal, who is the Deputy Speaker of the outgoing Maharashtra Assembly, made headlines when he jumped off the third floor of the Mantralaya in Mumbai, landing on the safety nets, in protest against the government’s suspension of recruitment of the Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates in certain jobs.

One of the state’s most prominent tribal leaders, Zirwal, 65, was also protesting against the Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti government’s proposal to grant the ST status to Dhangar community.

This act of defiance against his own government reflected the uphill task that Zirwal faces in his Dindori seat in Nashik district in the upcoming Assembly elections, which many consider as his toughest political battle so far.

After the split in the NCP in July 2023, Zirwal’s switch from the Sharad Pawar camp to the Ajit Pawar faction seems to have left him at odds with a section of his voters who have traditionally backed Sharad Pawar in the tribal-dominated constituency.

A three-time MLA, Zirwal also has to contend with growing hostility from his ally, CM Shinde-headed Shiv Sena, this time. The tension escalated when the Sena attempted to field ex-MLA Dhanraj Mahale against him in the seat, even sending the “AB” nomination forms” to its candidate by a helicopter before eventually withdrawing him.

Zirwal hails from Dindori. He began his political career in the 1980s as an activist with the Janata Dal, which had then significant influence in the tribal areas of Nashik.

He transitioned into electoral politics, securing two terms in the local panchayat samiti, first on a Janata Dal ticket and later on a Congress ticket. His success continued as he joined the NCP and won the Dindori seat in the 2004 Assembly elections.

Zirwal’s political fortunes took a hit in 2009 when he lost to the Shiv Sena’s candidate by a margin of just 149 votes.

Widely regarded as a soft-spoken leader with a keen understanding of tribal and agricultural issues, Zirwal’s political trajectory has been closely tied to Ajit Pawar. He shot into limelight in the wake of a botched coup in November 2019 attempted by Ajit when he joined hands with BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis to form their government in a dramatic night-long operation. Zirwal was among those NCP MLAs who had accompanied Ajit to the Raj Bhavan for the secret early morning swearing-in ceremony there in which Fadnavis was administered oath by then Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari as the CM along with Ajit as his deputy.

Zirwal had, however, returned to Sharad Pawar after a brief stay at a Gurgaon hotel then, even as Ajit and his other loyalist MLAs also did the same.

Subsequently, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government took charge and in March 2020, Zirwal was elected unopposed as the Deputy Speaker.

When Ajit crossed over to the NDA and joined its government as the Deputy CM last year, Zirwal sided with him – a decision that now seems to have created hurdles for him in his constituency.

These challenges were reflected in the Dindori parliamentary seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where the Sharad Pawar-led NCP(SP)’s candidate Bhaskar Bhagare secured a lead of over 82,000 votes in the Dindori Assembly segment, signalling discontent with Zirwal. Bhagare went on to defeat the BJP’s Bharati Pawar to clinch the seat by 1.13 lakh votes. The NCP(SP) is a major constituent of the Opposition MVA.

In the 2019 polls, Zirwal had defeated the then undivided Shiv Sena’s Bhaskar Gopal Gavit by 60,813 votes.

In the upcoming election, he is pitted against the NCP(SP)’s Sunita Charoskar, who is gaining support from sections of both the tribal community, which feels “alienated” by Zirwal’s recent political shifts, and the influential Maratha group, which holds sway in the belt.

Highlighting the problems plaguing the constituency, a local social activist Yakub Shaikh says, “Our region, with its large tribal population, remains one of the most underdeveloped in the state. While other parts of Maharashtra are discussing infrastructure and investment, here we are still fighting for basic needs like better roads and electricity. The failure to address these issues despite being an MLA for over a decade is likely to worsen Zirwal’s position in this election.”

Zirwal’s re-election bid also faces discontent within the NCP. However, he is putting up a brave face, asserting that he is in the race to win it. Mounting a vigorous campaign, he has also warned his Mahayuti allies that any attempt to “sabotage” his candidacy could “hurt” their nominees’ prospects in other constituencies.

“There are 72 seats across Maharashtra where tribals make up between zero and 20% of the electorate,” Zirwal said. “If people see me as a leader who has worked for them, it could influence those voters. I know how little it takes to change an election result – I once lost by only 149 votes,” he said, telling his allies that his standing among tribal voters could still play a role in the polls.