Ajit Pawar Responds to Nephew’s Nomination Against Him: ‘Same Mistake I Did’ | Mumbai News – Times of India

PUNE: A show of strength versus a low-key affair summed up the filing of nominations in Pawars’ bastion Baramati on Monday.
NCP supporters took out a huge rally in the town before deputy CM and NCP chief Ajit Pawar went to the tehsil office to file his nomination, showcasing the “support” for him in Baramati. His two sons, Parth and Jay, and some beneficiaries of the Ladki Bahin scheme accompanied Ajit Pawar on the penultimate day of filing of nominations.
In contrast, Yugendra, NCP (SP) candidate from the seat, followed his granduncle Sharad Pawar’s footsteps and visited the ancestral home in Baramati’s Amrai, the same house from where Pawar senior had gone to the tehsil office in 1967 to file his first ever nomination to contest assembly polls.
“I visited the tehsil office 57 years ago to file my nomination, and the people of Baramati have supported me since that day. My advice to the new generation looking to get into politics is to be polite and stay connected with the common people. That connection will make them successful in this field,” said Sharad Pawar.
Ajit Pawar and Yugendra filed their papers within half an hour of each other for the second round after the LS polls of the Pawar vs Pawar battle in Baramati. Yugendra’s parents, Shrinivas and Sharmila Pawar, and aunt Supriya Sule, Baramati MP, also accompanied him. “I feel quite fortunate that Pawar saheb was by my side when I filed the nomination. For me, it is not important who is against me. I give more importance to who is supporting me. My focus will be on addressing issues such as unemployment, rise in crime and the agrarian crisis,” he told TOI.
Ajit Pawar said after filing his papers, “I won’t be able to spend much time here considering my visits to other constituencies, but I am confident the people of Baramati will ensure my win.”
Ajit Pawar said the rival faction had made a mistake by nominating his nephew against him. “I admitted [after the LS polls] that it was my mistake to field a candidate against a family member (Sule). Now, they have fielded a family member against me and committed the same mistake. They should have avoided the mistake.”
Ruing that “the level of politics has gone down”, he said, “Bonding in a family is built over generations. But it takes hardly any time to break a family. Differences in the family should remain within the four walls. Once there is a split, it is difficult to bridge the gap.”
He said his mother, Ashatai Pawar, had advised NCP (SP) not to field a candidate against him. “Despite [that], who took the call to field the candidate against me? It’s said to be Pawar saheb’s call. Does that mean Pawar saheb has created a split in our family?” His younger brother Shrinivas Pawar rebuffed his claim. “As per my knowledge, my mother never made such a statement,” he said.