Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 | Ajit Pawar teases MLA nephew over narrow poll victory, BJP rival suspects 'conspiracy'

Karad: A seemingly innocuous comment made by NCP leader Ajit Pawar teasing his nephew and NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar over his thin victory margin in Maharashtra assembly polls has prompted a BJP leader to allege that a "secret pact" led to his defeat.

The dramatic exchange unfolded during Deputy Chief Minister Pawar's visit to pay tribute to Maharashtra's first CM YB Chavan on his death anniversary in Karad in Satara district.

During a casual encounter with Rohit Pawar, Ajit Pawar teased his nephew, saying, "You managed to secure a narrow victory. Had I campaigned in your constituency (Karjat Jamkhed), just imagine what would have happened".

Rohit touched the feet of Ajit Pawar after the latter jokingly asked him to "take darshan of your uncle", evoking peals of laughter among supporters of the two leaders accompanying them.

However, Ajit Pawar's remark did not sit well with Ram Shinde, the BJP candidate who lost the Karjat Jamkhed contest to Rohit Pawar by a wafer-thin margin of 1,243 votes.

BJP is a constituent of the Mahayuti coalition along with Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and NCP headed by Ajit Pawar.

Ram Shinde, a former cabinet minister and current MLC, picked on Ajit Pawar's "Had I campaigned...." remarks to raise allegations of a secret pact.

“I suspect a clandestine agreement between the Pawars, regardless of their affiliations with different political parties. I feel I was sacrificed in their pre-planned tactics,” Shinde told reporters in Mumbai.

The Pawar family patriarch Sharad Pawar considers Yashwantrao Chavan as his political mentor. The Pawar family visits the Chavan memorial every year to pay tribute to him.

Speaking to reporters later, Rohit Pawar acknowledged his uncle's influence.

“Ajitdada is a senior leader. His rally in my constituency would have changed the outcome,” he said.

Notably, Rohit Pawar had defeated Ram Shinde in the 2019 assembly election with a margin exceeding 40,000 votes.

Shinde said the ethics of alliances should be upheld by all leaders involved in the Mahayuti.

"You have seen what has happened to a candidate like me, who comes from a humble background unlike them,” he said and called for the intervention of senior BJP leaders to ensure the integrity of the Mahayuti coalition.

In the just-concluded elections for the 288-member Maharashtra assembly, the NCP won 41 seats, while the NCP (SP) headed by his uncle put up a dismal show by securing only 10 seats.

Ajit Pawar retained his Baramati seat by defeating NCP (SP) candidate and his nephew Yugendra Pawar by a margin of more than one lakh votes.

Last year, Ajit Pawar and several other legislators joined the Eknath Shinde-BJP government, splitting the NCP founded by his uncle Sharad Pawar.

Maharashtra Assembly poll 2024 results | Check constituency results here

Jharkhand Assembly poll 2024 results | Check constituency results here

Bypoll 2024 results | Check Karnataka results here

Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls took place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP went up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress tried to make their mark. Maha Yuti are currently comfortably poised to win. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faced a challenge after Hemant Soren's arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP, but look set to retain power with its I.N.D.I.A. allies. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

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