Political circles in Maharashtra were abuzz following comments made by NCP president and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who revealed that he has run in elections 7 to 8 times and expressed reluctance to seek re-election from Baramati in the upcoming Assembly polls.
“I contested 7-8 times, but now I am not interested. I am ready to fulfill the wishes of the people of Baramati and the party workers. In a democracy, people’s mandate is important. The party’s Parliamentary Board will take a decision regarding the candidature of Jai Pawar (Ajit Pawar’s son),” stated Ajit Pawar. His remarks came as he completed the initial phase of his ‘Jansanman Yatra,’ aimed at highlighting the MahaYuti government’s various welfare and development schemes, including the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, ahead of the Assembly election.
These comments have fueled speculation that Ajit Pawar might be setting the stage for his son Jai Pawar to enter the electoral arena, potentially running for the Assembly seat in Baramati.
Ajit Pawar emphasized that the party’s Parliamentary Board will make the final decision on Jai Pawar’s candidacy. This is particularly noteworthy as NCP-SP, led by his uncle Sharad Pawar, is considering Yugendra Pawar, son of Sriniwas Pawar (Ajit Pawar’s brother), as a candidate for the Baramati seat. Instead of facing his nephew, Ajit Pawar might opt to nominate his son Jai against Yugendra, resulting in a contest between cousins rather than between an uncle and a nephew.
Ajit Pawar’s latest comments follow his earlier admission that it was a mistake to field his wife Sunetra Pawar against his cousin Supriya Sule from Baramati in the Lok Sabha elections. Although Sunetra Pawar lost to Supriya Sule, she was later elected to the Rajya Sabha.
Ajit Pawar’s hints at potentially not contesting from Baramati might also suggest that he could be considering a run from a different constituency, such as Karjat Jamshed in Ahmednagar district, where he might face his estranged nephew and NCP-SP legislator Rohit Pawar.
The timing of Ajit Pawar’s remarks is significant as his party has firmly ruled out returning to the Sharad Pawar-led faction and has decided to align with MahaYuti, collaborating with allies BJP and Shiv Sena for the forthcoming Assembly election.
In response to Ajit Pawar’s comments, NCP state unit chief Sunil Tatkare clarified the party’s stance, stating, “Ajit Pawar has not made a statement that he will not fight. His statement is being misconstrued for no reason. The NCP will contest the Assembly election under the leadership of Ajit Pawar in the MahaYuti (Grand Alliance). We are trying to figure out how to make the party more successful. I will discuss with our party president and let you know the exact purpose of Ajit Pawar’s comment.”
Tatkare further noted, “People of Baramati have faith in Ajit Pawar who has played an important role in changing the face of Baramati in the last 35 years.”
NCP-SP state unit chief Jayant Patil took a jab at Ajit Pawar, asserting, “The parliamentary board is none other than Ajit Pawar.” He continued, “It is their internal issue. Who is the parliamentary board? It is Ajit Pawar. I don’t know if anyone else is on their parliamentary board. Ajit Pawar said he is not interested in contesting the election from Baramati. I don’t know the exact reasons. What is their policy? It is not appropriate to comment so early.”
On the other hand, NCP-SP legislator Rohit Pawar speculated that he might end up facing Ajit Pawar in the elections, suggesting that Ajit Pawar could be compelled to contest against him. However, Tatkare dismissed Rohit Pawar’s comments, saying, “There is no need to pay attention to opponents. The leaders of the opposition party are making various criticisms of us,” and added, “We will face the elections under the leadership of Ajit Pawar, and we will achieve good results.”
Meanwhile, Ajit Pawar, seen by some party members as a potential Chief Minister, remarked on the importance of numbers for the position. “Uddhav Thackeray did not contest any election but became Chief Minister. Uddhav Thackeray became the Chief Minister first and then elected to the state council. Numbers are important for the post of Chief Minister,” he explained.
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