In a surprise move that has set tongues wagging in political circles, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) president Sharad Pawar has invited Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar for a lunch at his residence in Baramati on March 2.
Pawar’s invitation to his political rivals comes amid his strained ties with his nephew following the power tussle and split in the NCP and ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
There were reports that Ajit Pawar, who has got the NCP name and symbol following the split, is likely to field his wife Sunetra Pawar in Baramati Lok Sabha constituency, currently represented by his cousin and Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule.
The CM and his deputies will be in Baramati on March 2 to attend a job fair 'Namo Maharojgar Melava' organised by the Maharashtra government on the premises of Vidya Pratishthan college. Sharad Pawar is the president of Vidya Pratishthan.
“It would be my pleasure to host you and other members of your cabinet at my house,” the veteran leader said in his letter dated February 28.
Pawar, a former Union minister, stated that as parliamentarians, he and Sule would like to attend the official event in Baramati. However, reports quoted government sources as saying the invitation had been extended only to Sule.
Earlier this month, the Election Commission, in a significant ruling, allotted the name and ‘wall clock’ symbol of the NCP to Ajit Pawar’s camp.
The poll panel, in its order on February 6, held Ajit Pawar’s camp as the 'real NCP’ and, in a separate order the following day, allotted a new name—Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar—to the Sharad Pawar camp in view of the upcoming Rajya Sabha election.
Ajit Pawar had walked away with a majority of NCP MLAs last year and supported the BJP-Shiv Sena government led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.