Ajit Pawar dismisses nephew Yugendra as Baramati wrestling association chief

Deputy CM Ajit Pawar removes nephew from wrestling association post for supporting rival candidate. Family rift deepens post-election loss.

Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar has dismissed his nephew Yugendra Pawar from the post of chief of the Baramati Wrestling Association since he and his parents worked for NCP (Sharad Pawar) candidate Supriya Sule’s campaign for the Lok Sabha elections, according to sources.

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Ajit Pawar, one of the office bearers of the wrestling association, called for a meeting on Sunday in Yugendra’s absence to dismiss him. “Yes, I was told I was removed from the chief’s post that I held for two years. But the minutes [of the meeting] are yet to be confirmed,” said Yugendra. Parth Pawar, son of Ajit Pawar, said, “We change office bearers once in one or two years. It’s not like Yugendra was removed. We have to make place for new people.’’

Sources in the Pawar family said Ajit Pawar was quite livid that Yugendra and his parents, Shrinivas and Sharmila Pawar, were working openly for Supriya Sule during the Lok Sabha polls. Shrinivas is Ajit Pawar’s brother, while Sule is the daughter of NCP founder and Ajit’s uncle Sharad Pawar. Sources said Ajit Pawar had probably done his election analysis and realised that his wife Sunetra, who was contesting the Baramati constituency against Sule, was losing. Sule would end up winning the seat by over 158,000 votes.

Ajit Pawar split the NCP and his family in July 2023 when he formed a breakaway faction and defected to the Mahayuti alliance. When he decided to field his wife Sunetra against his cousin Supriya, his younger brother Shrinivas decided to side with Sharad Pawar as he had brought them up after their father’s untimely death when they were children.

Shrinivas and his family camped in Indapur and Baramati, while Rajendra Pawar, another nephew of Sharad Pawar, and his wife Sunanda camped in Daund and Purandar areas of Baramati. Their MLA son Rohit has always accompanied Sharad Pawar.

Sources in the Pawar family said Yugendra could contest against Ajit in the future from Baramati or any other area, just like how Rohit Pawar was elected from Jamkhed.