What a jubilant Sharad Pawar has to say about nephew Ajit's return to NCP (SP) fold?
Sharad Pawar, who is jubilant after the 'ghar wapsi' of his party leaders, said if his nephew Ajit Pawar wanted to return, the party and not him will take that decision
Even as a jubilant Sharad Pawar on July 17 welcomed back several ruling National Congress Party (NCP) leaders and office bearers into his party, the veteran politician made it clear that his party and not him will take the decision whether his nephew Ajit Pawar can return to the fold.
According to news reports, the 83-year-old Sharad Pawar, who is reportedly in high spirits after the 'ghar wapsi' of his party leaders, has said that if his nephew Ajit Pawar wanted to return, the party and not him will take the decision.
"Everyone has a place in the house. But, as far as the party is concerned, I wouldn't take the decision myself," Sharad Pawar said, adding that “those who stood with me will be consulted," quoted media reports.
Three months before the Maharashtra assembly election, in a jolt to the NCP led by Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, the NCP from Pimpri-Chinchwad joined the NCP (SP) led by Sharad Pawar on July 17. It was last year when Ajit Pawar, in a shocking move, had split the party and teamed up with Maharashtra's Eknath Shinde-BJP government along with eight MLAs.
Warm welcome
Sharad Pawar welcomed Ajit Gavhane, Rahul Bhosale, Yash Sane, Pankaj Bhalekar, and around 20 former municipal corporators and other unit heads to the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) fold with party flags, stoles and blessings.
The NCP (SP) supremo last month had said that he did not want to take back people who wanted to "weaken" his party. And that he would accept leaders who would not "hurt" the party’s image.
The return of Ajit Gavwane, former NCP Pimpri-Chinchwad unit chief, to Sharad Pawar’s NCP is viewed as being particularly significant ahead of the assembly elections in Maharashtra. According to Gavwane, he had quit Ajit Pawar’s faction because he was unhappy with the lack of work done by the BJP for the region.
BJP currently holds the Pimpri Chinchwad assembly. But, Garwane complained that since 2017, the BJP has been ruling PPMC (Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation) and it is highly corrupt. And, he blamed the sitting MLA for the rampant corruption in the corporation.
The Ajit Pawar camp's poor showing in the recent Lok Sabha elections has led to the defection of his party leaders, said political observers.
In the recent Lok Sabha polls, the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi of Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) won 30 of the 48 seats.
Ajit Pawar's faction contested the Lok Sabha elections as part of the BJP-led NDA and managed to win just the Raigad seat, which was a major blow for the party.
