MUMBAI: Maharashtra’s political scene heated up on Friday as Sharad Pawar took a U-turn saying he never said Ajit Pawar was the NCP leader and that the party had split. He also indicated his inclination to close the door to Ajit Pawar for his re-entry into the NCP.
The Opposition in Maharashtra and the ruling BJP decoded Sharad Pawar’s statement in their own convenient way. The BJP said Sharad Pawar will soon join the NDA, therefore he made the statement, while the Opposition argued that the senior Pawar was confusing the BJP.
State Congress chief Nana Patole said Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar could have wanted to return to the party after meeting his uncle. “Sharad Pawar appears to have succeeded in changing Ajit Pawar’s mind. There is no confusion in Congress and the Uddhav-led Shiv Sena about Sharad Pawar. We firmly stand behind Sharad Pawar. It is for them to decide what is going on in the NCP and what steps they should take,” Nana said.
However, state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said Sharad Pawar believes in development politics and soon he would join the NDA. He said the BJP will win the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, so everyone, including Sharad Pawar, wants to be part of it.
Earlier in the day, Pawar recalled the 2019 early morning oath-taking ceremony of Ajit along with BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis, saying his nephew got an opportunity to return to the NCP. “The same opportunity cannot be given to him again and again and it should not be sought as well,” said Pawar.
When asked about his statements earlier in the day calling Ajit the party leader, Pawar said he never called his nephew the party leader. Earlier in Baramati, Sharad Pawar said there was no split in his party.
“Some people took different decisions which cannot be called a split and separation in the party. The split will happen when a majority within the party gets separated at the national level. Here, there is no such split at the national level. Some people have taken a different stand that cannot be called the split. In a democracy, they have a right to make such decisions,” Pawar said.