Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said his decision to field his wife Sunetra Pawar against his cousin Supriya Sule in Baramati in the recent Lok Sabha elections was a mistake.
"I love all my sisters. One shouldn't allow politics to enter homes. I made a mistake in fielding Sunetra against my sister,” Ajit said in an interview to a Marathi news channel.
Supriya, daughter of Nationalist Congress Party founder Sharad Pawar, had defeated Sunetra by a margin of around 1.5 lakh votes. Sunetra was later elected to the Rajya Sabha.
Ajit Pawar and a number of other NCP MLAs joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government in July last year, leading to a split in the NCP. Ever since then, both the factions, led by Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar, have been at loggerheads to claim the legacy of the party.
The Election Commission later declared the Ajit-led group as the real NCP while granting the name NCP (SP) to the rival faction.
THE WEEK asked Supriya about her cousin’s remarks to the news channel, but she refused to make any comments and simply replied ‘Ram Krishna Hari’ with a smiley.
Meanwhile, NCP (SP) sources questioned why Ajit chose to talk to the media about the “mistake” he had done rather than speaking to the family or his sisters.
It’s not clear what prompted Ajit to make the remarks, but sources indicated that he might be worried about the chances of Sharad Pawar fielding Yogendra Pawar, Ajit’s nephew, against him in Baramati assembly seat.
On Monday, Suriya took a swipe at the Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana announced by Ajit Pawar in the state budget last month, saying the ruling dispensation believes relationships and elections can be won with money.
"There is a difference between relationships and transactions. The ruling alliance feels relationships and elections can be won over by money. Blood relations, love are different from a transaction,” she said.