Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who recently led a rebellion within the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), admitted that fielding his wife, Sunetra Pawar, against his cousin Supriya Sule in the Lok Sabha elections was a mistake. Reflecting on the decision during an interview, Pawar acknowledged that politics should not have infiltrated family relations.
Ajit Pawar revealed that it was the NCP’s parliamentary board that decided to nominate Sunetra against Sule, a decision he now believes was wrong. He emphasized that he holds affection for all his sisters and regretted allowing political differences to create rifts within the family.
In the recent elections, while Ajit Pawar’s immediate family supported him, the majority of his relatives sided with his uncle Sharad Pawar. Supriya Sule, the daughter of Sharad Pawar, won the Baramati seat, defeating Sunetra. Despite this, Sunetra later secured a position in the Rajya Sabha.
Ajit Pawar, currently on his statewide ‘Jan Samman Yatra,’ also affirmed his respect for Sharad Pawar, stating that he would not engage in public criticism of his uncle, despite their political differences. The Election Commission recently recognized Ajit Pawar’s faction as the legitimate NCP, further intensifying the split within the party founded by his uncle.
