Banter, tributes, and a missed meeting: Pawars in one place

Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar head Sharad Pawar and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Monday separately visited the memorial of the state's first chief minister Y B Chavan in Karad and paid tributes to him on his death anniversary.

IMAGE: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. Photograph: ANI Photo

Sharad Pawar offered floral tributes at 'Pritisangam', the memorial of his mentor Yashwantrao Balwantrao Chavan.

Later, his nephew and NCP head Ajit Pawar also visited the memorial and paid homage to the late leader.

Sharad Pawar was accompanied by his grandnephew Rohit Pawar.

Rohit Pawar came face-to-face with Ajit Pawar there.

While congratulating his nephew, Ajit Pawar quipped, "Come, take my blessings. You barely survived (in retaining the seat). Had I held a rally (in Karjat Jamkhed), imagine what would have happened", suggesting that had he campaigned in his nephew's assembly constituency, it would have been difficult for the latter to win the seat.

Rohit Pawar then touched his feet.

Rohit retained his Karjat Jamkhed seat in Ahilyanagar district by defeating Bharatiya Janata Party's Ram Shinde by a thin margin of 1,243 votes.

The NCP-SP leader later told reporters that despite their (political) differences, Ajit Pawar is a 'father figure' to him.

"In the 2019 elections, he (Ajit) helped me immensely and since he is my uncle, it was my responsibility to touch his feet. In this land which belongs to Chavan Saheb, the tradition and values given by him need to be followed and we are doing the same," he said.

Asked about Ajit Pawar's friendly banter, Rohit Pawar said it is true that had his uncle held a rally (in Karjat Jamkhed), things would have been different.

"But he was busy in Baramati and could not get time to come to the constituency," he said.

Rohit Pawar said he congratulated the deputy CM for his performance in the recent elections.

Last year, Ajit Pawar along with several other legislators joined the Eknath Shinde-Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state, leading to a split in the NCP founded by his uncle Sharad Pawar.

In the just-concluded polls to the 288-member Maharashtra assembly, the NCP led by Ajit Pawar performed well winning 41 seats, while the NCP-SP headed by his uncle put up a dismal show by securing only 10 seats.