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Two days after Ajit Pawar's NCP trumped the party faction led by his uncle Sharad Pawar in the Maharashtra Assembly polls, the junior Pawar questioned the rival camp's decision to field his nephew Yugendra against him in the family bastion of Baramati. Ajit Pawar also reiterated that his decision to field wife Sunetra against his sister Supriya Sule in the Lok Sabha election was a "mistake".
The Sharad Pawar camp had fielded Yugendra Pawar, son of Ajit Pawar's elder brother Shrinivas Anantrao Pawar, in the Baramati Assembly segment. The seat was represented by Sharad Pawar for over two decades, followed by Ajit Pawar for over three. In this contest, 33-year-old Yugendra Pawar was backed by the senior Pawar and four-time Baramati MP Supriya Sule. But the youngster lost out against his formidable uncle by a margin of over 1 lakh votes.
Addressing the media, Ajit Pawar said, "Yugendra is a business person, he had no connection with politics. There was no reason to field my own nephew against me in the elections."
Interestingly, Ajit Pawar had fielded his wife Sunetra against his cousin and Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule in the general election earlier this year. Ms Sule won the contest by a 1.5 lakh votes margin. Ajit Pawar later admitted that it was a "mistake".
Reiterating the same today, he said, "I made a mistake in the Lok Sabha elections, but if you have to send a message, will you put a person from your own family against me?"
Sharad Pawar earlier defended the decision to field Yugendra Pawar, saying someone had to contest the polls. He had also said there was no comparison between Ajit Pawar and Yugendra Pawar.
Ajit Pawar also joked with his other nephew, Rohit Pawar, when he met him today. Rohit Pawar won the Karjat Jamkhed seat with a slim margin. Ajit Pawar today told him jokingly, "You were saved by a thing margin...think what would happen if I had addressed a public meeting (rally) there...best of luck."
A 2023 rebellion led by Ajit Pawar against his uncle split the NCP founded by Sharad Pawar. Since then, the senior Pawar has been fighting to win his party's name and symbol back. In the Lok Sabha election, the veteran had trumped his nephew, with his faction winning 8 seats compared to Ajit Pawar's score of 1. This time, the tables turned as NCP (Sharad Pawar) scored 10, but Ajit Pawar's party won 41.