Day after civic poll debacle, Ajit Pawar meets uncle Sharad Pawar

Pune, Jan 17 (PTI) Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Saturday met his uncle Sharad Pawar, a day after the BJP decimated his NCP and NCP (SP) alliance in the Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad civic polls.

The BJP stunned the Pawars in the Pune polls, clinching 119 seats. The NCP came a distant second with 27 seats, while its ally, NCP (SP) led by Sharad Pawar, won three. The Congress managed 15 seats.

In Pimpri Chinchwad, the BJP bagged 84 seats in the 128-member general body.

“An agriculture exhibition was inaugurated today, and I had come to Baramati for that. I was told that (Sharad) Pawar saheb is also at his residence. So I went to his house and we all later headed for the exhibition,” he explained.

Emphasising unity in the Pawar household amid such speculation on the merger of the two NCP factions, the Deputy CM said, “We are together (as Pawar family). We go to each other’s places at required times.” An agriculture exhibition in Pune’s Baramati Tehsil was inaugurated by the two leaders.

Later, a meeting was also held at Sharad Pawar’s residence, where several leaders from both NCP groups, including Ajit Pawar, MP Supriya Sule, MLA Rohit Pawar, Shashikant Shinde, Jayant Patil, and state minister Dattatray Bharne, were present.

Asked about the talks during the gathering, Sule told reporters, “If discussions are held behind closed doors, will they be discussed outside?” Speaking to the media, Ajit Pawar congratulated the BJP for its performance in the Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad civic polls, results of which were announced a day earlier.

Pawar had attacked the BJP, which was in power in the two civic bodies in the district between 2017 and 2022, for irregularities and “derailed development”, bringing a very high amount of acrimony in the campaign. The BJP, an ally of the NCP in the Mahayuti, had hit back with warnings that Pawar must introspect before making such statements.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Pawar said his party would sit and discuss the poll reversal.

Asked about the Opposition casting aspersions on EVMs (electronic voting machines), Pawar said he would not comment on the issue, but added it was natural to blame them after a defeat, though no one raises such questions after a victory.

“Voters are important, and every political party must continue its efforts. The BJP has achieved significant success, and I congratulate the party for its performance. These civic polls were fought by the BJP under the leadership of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and the other parties had to face defeat,” said Pawar.

The takeaway from this defeat is not to get discouraged but to continue working, the Deputy CM added.

Asked about possible reasons for the defeat in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad, once the bastion of the NCP and the Pawars, he said, “It is just 24 hours since the results have been declared. The party will sit and discuss the outcome. The media had predicted a favourable atmosphere for the party, but the media’s projections also went wrong.” Queried whether there was a meeting during the day to discuss the merger of the NCP and NCP (SP), the Deputy CM said no such meeting took place.

On NCP (SP) state unit chief Shashikant Shinde’s statement that both the NCPs will fight the upcoming Zilla Parishad elections together, Ajit Pawar said he has not heard what Shinde said.

Pawar, however, asserted that the right to forge alliances is given to the local leadership for such polls.

“We are working in Mahayuti together, and our work is going on,” he said. The Mahayuti comprises the BJP, NCP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

The three parties, however, fought separately in several of the 29 municipal corporations where polls were held on January 15. These included Mumbai, where the BJP and Shiv Sena were in alliance while Ajit Pawar's outfit fought separately. In Pune, the BJP and Shiv Sena fought independently, while the NCP struck an alliance with the NCP (SP). PTI SPK COR BNM NR