Party to decide whether his son will contest Baramati assembly seat, says Ajit Pawar

Pune, Aug 15 (PTI) Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday said it was for his party to decide whether his son Jay Pawar will contest from the Baramati assembly constituency.

The NCP chief, who has been representing the constituency in Pune district for the last many terms, also said he was “not interested” in contesting elections anymore.

But state NCP chief Sunil Tatkare later said Ajit Pawar did not say that he would not contest the coming assembly elections.

Speaking to reporters, Ajit Pawar was replying to the question whether Jay will be fielded from Baramati as demanded by his supporters.

“It is democracy. I am not interested in that (contesting elections) as I have contested seven or eight elections. If the people and supporters think so, the (NCP) parliamentary board will discuss it,” he said.

If the parliamentary board and “people” felt that Jai should be fielded, the NCP was ready to field him, Ajit Pawar further said.

Notably, his elder son Parth Pawar had contested the Maval Lok Sabha seat in 2019 but lost by a heavy margin.

Asked if he would celebrate Raksha Bandhan with his cousin and rival NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) MP Supriya Sule, Ajit said he was currently on a state tour and would meet all his sisters in some place. “If Supriya Sule happens to be where I am, I will meet her,” he added.

He also sought to debunk media reports about differences between him and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, saying that both were working together successfully.

Women in the state are happy as the first instalment Rs 1,500 under the `Ladki Bahin’ scheme has been credited into the accounts of 35 lakh women, Pawar said.

Asked about his recent remark that it was a mistake to field his wife Sunetra against Supriya Sule in Baramati Lok Sabha seat, Pawar said he had already talked about it.

“I am not someone who makes comments directed at some person. I speak whatever comes to my mind, and there is no need to do dissection,” he said.

Elsewhere, Maharashtra NCP chief Sunil Tatkare claimed that Ajit Pawar did not state that he would not contest the coming elections.

“Ajit Pawar did not say that he would not contest elections….he could have some plans. We want to win as many seats as possible,” Tatkare told reporters.

Notably, Rohit Pawar, an NCP (SP) MLA from Karjat-Jamkhed and grand-nephew of Sharad Pawar, had recently claimed that someone from the family who is close to Ajit Pawar could be fielded against him.

“The Mahayuti (coalition of BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP) is going to field candidates in my constituency to split votes. It was speculated that Ajit Pawar was under pressure to field someone from the family against Supriya Sule. Now, a similar strategy is being drawn up in my assembly constituency,” he had said.