In an exclusive interview with News18 Lokmat, Sharad Pawar, leader of one faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) after a party split, stated that he was responsible for the development of Baramati, countering claims by his nephew and the other faction’s deputy chief minister, Ajit Pawar.
“I am the one who developed Baramati,” Sharad Pawar declared.
In June 2023, Ajit Pawar took over control of the NCP, becoming Maharashtra’s second deputy chief minister, which recalled his earlier brief alliance with Fadnavis in 2019 that ultimately collapsed. This power shift led to a legal battle that continues in the Supreme Court. The Election Commission has since recognized the Ajit Pawar-led faction as the legitimate NCP, awarding them the “clock” symbol, while Sharad Pawar’s faction was renamed ‘Nationalist Congress Party — Sharadchandra Pawar’ with a new symbol for the Rajya Sabha elections.
The Maharashtra elections are contested between two coalitions: the ruling Mahayuti, which includes the BJP, NCP (Ajit Pawar), and Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) faction, and the MVA or Maha Aghadi, which includes Sena (UBT), NCP (Sharad Pawar), and Congress.
Responding to Home Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah’s remarks attributing the NCP split to “putri moh” (affection for one’s offspring), Sharad Pawar countered, “I have appointed other women leaders as ministers, deliberately not choosing my daughter [Supriya Sule]. I reject this theory.”
Discussing Maharashtra politics, Pawar mentioned he had advocated for Shiv Sena’s Uddhav Thackeray to be Chief Minister, emphasizing, “I was against supporting the BJP. My party MLAs faced harassment from agencies, prompting some to consider joining the BJP to avoid legal troubles.”
Regarding the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Pawar expressed concerns about the nation’s social fabric being damaged, stating it as a critical issue. He also addressed Amit Shah’s comment suggesting Pawar should apologize to farmers’ widows, pointing out, “Farmer suicides have escalated during Modi’s administration.”
About visiting the Ayodhya Ram Mandir, Pawar remarked, “I don’t need to visit the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya to prove my faith. I regularly visit temples and shrines in Maharashtra. Moreover, since the Ram Mandir is still under construction, I’ll consider visiting once it’s completed.”
