NCP leader and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's visit to Delhi was notable for many reasons in the wake of Mahayuti cabinet expansion. However, the focus quickly shifted to Ajit Pawar's meeting with his uncle and NCP (SP) leader Sharad Pawar, triggering speculations that a reunion may be on the cards.
Though the leaders of the NCP (SP) dismissed the rumours of a possible reunion, what caught the eye was how Ajit Pawar deliberately chose not to publish the photo of his meeting with his uncle.
During his Delhi visit, Ajit Pawar met Amit Shah, Vice President Jaddeep Dhankhar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the pictures of which were plastered all over his social media handles. However, he tactfully omitted pictures with Sharad Pawar.
Ajit Pawar was accompanied by his wife and MP Sunetra Pawar, Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal and Sunil Tatkare to Sharad Pawar's residence in Delhi to wish him a happy birthday. He also wished the veteran leader on social media, but chose to post an old picture of Sharad Pawar.
Many think this was deliberate on the part of Ajit Pawar as he didn't want to give the BJP an impression that he was getting close to Sharad Pawar again.
Both Ajit and Sharad Pawar had not been getting along after Ajit broke the party to join the Mahayuti last year. Sunetra Pawar's defeat in Baramati at the hands of Supriya Sule too was a painful episode for Ajit. The Assembly Elections also saw both targetting each other. Since then, Ajit Pawar preferred to stay a little away from his uncle.
But, Ajit Pawar's decision to keep the meeting low-profile has failed with Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Sanjay Raut accusing him of attempting to poach MPs from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SP) led by Sharad Pawar at the behest of the BJP. "Ajit Pawar has been tasked with bringing at least five to six MPs from Sharad Pawar’s NCP into their fold. The BJP has made it clear that if Ajit wants any of his leaders to secure positions in the central ministry, he must split Sharad Pawar’s party," Raut claimed.
Raut's statement comes amid BJP leader Pravin Darekar's claim that several MPs from Sharad Pawar’s camp were in touch with the BJP.