On Monday, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar took a jibe on NCP-SP leader Rohit Pawar, claiming that it would have been difficult for the latter to win if he had run for office in his nephew’s assembly constituency, according to news agency PTI.
In the recently concluded Maharashtra assembly elections, Rohit Pawar, the grandson of NCP-SP chairman Sharad Pawar, defeated Ram Shinde of the BJP by a slim margin of 1,243 votes to successfully hold onto his Karjat Jamkhed seat in Ahilyanagar district.
Rohit met Ajit Pawar in person while they were at Y B Chavan’s memorial. The elder Pawar congratulated his nephew and invited him to touch his feet and receive his blessings. He said, “Come, take my blessings. You barely survived (in retaining the seat). Had I held a rally (in Karjat Jamkhed), imagine what would have happened.”
Later, the leader of the NCP (SP) informed reporters that Ajit Pawar is a “father figure” to him in spite of their (political) disagreements.
He said, “In the 2019 elections, he (Ajit) helped me immensely and since he is my uncle, it was my responsibility to touch his feet. In this land which belongs to Chavan Saheb, the tradition and values given by him need to be followed and we are doing the same”.
When asked about Ajit Pawar’s lighthearted remark, Rohit Pawar acknowledged that things would have turned out differently if his uncle had organized a protest (at Karjat Jamkhed). “But he was busy in Baramati and could not get time to come to the constituency,” claimed the politician.
Ajit Pawar later said, “I did not say that, and refrained from commenting. All I could do was congratulate him and wish him luck in his future endeavors”.
In the Maharashtra assembly elections, Ajit Pawar defeated his nephew, Yugendra Pawar, of the NCP (SP), by over a lakh votes, retaining his seat in Baramati.
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