MUMBAI: Days after the mutiny by his nephew Ajit Pawar, NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday hit the road and addressed a public rally in Yeola – the constituency of Ajit Pawar faction’s MLA Chhagan Bhujbal in Nasik district. Pawar publically extended an apology and accepted his error of judgment for fielding the wrong people like Bhujbal.
He also clarified that he had talked with BJP several times, but that does not mean they were joining hands with the BJP. He said in a democracy, they do have a dialogue with all parties that do not mean they are going with these people. Earlier Pawar junior had revealed that NCP planned to form a government with BJP but at the eleventh hour, Pawar senior backtracked.
Interestingly, after the Lok Sabha election in 2019, the sitting NCP Lok Sabha MP Udayan Raje Bhosale left Sharad Pawar and joined BJP. Pawar in the Lok Sabha by-poll campaign told Satara people that he made a mistake by fielding Raje and even apologised to the people. Raje badly lost against the NCP candidate.
The 83-year-old Pawar left Mumbai in the morning for Nasik. On his way, many Pawar lovers welcomed him by giving him garlands. While meeting people on his way, Pawar also got wet but this did not dampen his spirit.
He said he has not come to Yeola to criticise anyone but to put forth his side and the current political situation in India. Pawar’s nephew Ajit Pawar and once close aides like Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal, and Dilip Walse Patel left Pawar Sr and joined hands with the BJP. Pawar said that the Nasik district has a different history and legacy that always stood with secular and progressive ideology despite many odds.
“When Yashwantrao Chavan was called in Delhi and inducted as defense minister in Pandit Nehru’s cabinet, Chavan got elected unopposed from Nasik. Therefore, I also decided to start rebuilding the party from Nasik only,” Pawar said.