MUMBAI: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has found himself at the center of controversy after allegations surfaced that his elder son, Parth Pawar, illegally acquired 40 acres of prime land in Pune worth around Rs 2,000 crore for just Rs 300 crore.
The land, situated in the high-profile Koregaon Park area, is classified as Mahar Vatan land — property originally allotted to landless Dalit families for cultivation — and cannot legally be sold or purchased.
Opposition parties have demanded Ajit Pawar’s resignation and called for a high-level judicial inquiry led by a retired High Court judge. In response, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has ordered an inquiry headed by Additional Chief Secretary Vikas Kharge and directed him to submit a factual report. When questioned about the issue, Ajit Pawar declined to comment, claiming no knowledge of the alleged deal.
Documents show that Parth Pawar and his relative, Digvijay Amarsinh Patil, registered an Information Technology firm named Almada, which passed a resolution on April 22, 2025, to develop an IT park on the disputed land. Despite having just Rs 1 lakh in its account, the company managed to acquire the land at a fraction of its market value. The purchase also allegedly received exemptions from stamp duty and registration fees, with only Rs 500 paid instead of the estimated Rs 25 crore due. Notably, the company’s stated business activity involved repairing motorcycles, vehicles, and household equipment rather than IT development.
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray criticized the Fadnavis government, accusing it of allowing ministers’ relatives to benefit from public land. “Farmers are demanding loan waivers, but the government seems focused on helping its allies’ families seize valuable land at throwaway prices,” he said. Thackeray added that earlier controversies involving DCM Eknath Shinde’s associates had also raised similar concerns.
Social activist Anjali Damanai compared the case to the earlier Eknath Khadse land row, urging consistency in government action. “When the Khadse case came up, Chief Minister Fadnavis accepted his resignation. The same principle should apply here. There cannot be two sets of laws,” she said.
Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal demanded that Ajit Pawar resign on moral grounds. “If he does not step down voluntarily, the chief minister should remove him. The government cannot ignore this serious land scam,” Sapkal stated.