Rohit appeals to voters to honour Ajit Pawar’s legacy in Zilla Parishad polls

Mumbai: NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar on Thursday appealed to voters in the 12 districts going to Zilla Parishad elections to support the NCP by remembering late leader Ajit Pawar and carrying forward his ideology.

NCP (SP) and NCP have joined hands for the ZP elections, scheduled for February 7. The two parties are contesting the polls on the NCP's clock symbol.

Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, who died in a plane crash on January 28, headed the NCP, while his uncle Sharad Pawar is the chief of the NCP (SP). After Ajit Pawar's death, his wife Sunetra Pawar was sworn in as the deputy CM.

In a social media post, Rohit Pawar said the tragic death of Ajit Pawar occurred while he was travelling for election work, adding that the incident took place on the last day of campaigning for the polls, which were initially scheduled for February 5.

Despite prior planning, members of the Pawar family were unable to campaign for any candidate due to the sudden tragedy, he said.

Rohit Pawar, who represents the Karjat-Jamkhed assembly constituency in Ahilyanagar district, urged voters in all the poll-bound districts to support Ajit Pawar's ideas, describing it as the "right time" and a true tribute to the late leader.

The 12 zilla parishads voting on February 7 are Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Pune, Satara, Sangli, Solapur, Kolhapur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Parbhani, Dharashiv and Latur. Voting will also be held for 125 panchayat samitis in these districts on the same day.

As many as 2,624 candidates are in the fray for 731 seats in the 12 ZPs, while 4,814 candidates are in contesting for 1,462 seats in 125 panchayat samitis. Votes will be counted on February 9.

Zilla Parishad is a local government body at the district level, responsible for rural administration, development, education, and infrastructure. It is a key part of the Panchayati Raj system.