Maharashtra politics: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has acknowledged that society disapproves of family conflicts. He mentioned that he has personally experienced such conflicts and has admitted his mistake, which seems to refer to the recent Lok Sabha elections contest between his wife Sunetra and cousin Supriya Sule.
This is the second time in a month that the NCP leader has publicly acknowledged his mistake in having his wife contest against NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule, who is the daughter of his uncle Sharad Pawar. He emphasised that politics should not intrude into family matters.
The "admission" of the mistake came against the backdrop of poor performance by the NCP, one of the constituents of the Mahayuti alliance in the state, in its maiden general elections after a split in the party.
During the Jansamman rally organised by the NCP in Gadchiroli city on Friday, Pawar tried to discourage Bhagyashri, the daughter of party leader and state minister Dharmarao Baba Aatram, from joining the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP). Speculation is going around about a potential contest between Bhagyashri and her father in the upcoming state assembly elections.
What Ajit Pawar said on family rift?
"Nobody loves a daughter more than her father. Despite giving her away in marriage in Belgaum, he (Aatram) stood by her in Gadchiroli and made her the president of Zilla Parishad. Now you (Bhagyashri) are set to fight against your own father. Is this right?" the deputy CM asked the gathering.
"You should support your father and help him win because only he has the capacity and determination to develop the region. The society never accepts breaking one's own family," he said.
"This is like breaking the family, Ajit Pawar said, referring to the rift between Bhagyashri and her father over her political move. Society doesn't like this. I have experienced the same and accepted my mistake," the NCP leader said.
Ajit Pawar faced major defeat in Lok Sabha polls
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the NCP led by Ajit Pawar faced a major defeat, losing three of the four constituencies it contested, including Baramati. In contrast, the Sharad Pawar-led faction won eight out of the ten seats it contested. Aatram, an MLA from Aheri in Gadchiroli district, has aligned with Ajit Pawar.
Supriya Sule triumphed over her sister-in-law Sunetra Pawar, wife of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in the battle that had become the most high-profile contest in Maharashtra. Supriya Sule got 7,32,312 votes while Sunetra Pawar garnered 5,73,979 votes.
In February, the Election Commission (EC) recognised the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the NCP as the official party and granted it the party's "clock" symbol while allotting "Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar" as the party name for the group led by Sharad Pawar.
(With PTI inputs)
