Will slap you if infighting over election tickets is found: Ajit Pawar

The development came in a meeting in Pune to review eight Lok Sabha constituencies for which several senior leaders were present

Mumbai: Senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar on Monday warned his party leaders against infighting over candidature for the upcoming polls and said that he will slap them if found involved in any conflict over the distribution of election tickets.

Mumbai, India - February 26, 2023: Leader of Opposition (Maharashtra Council) Ambadas Danve, Leader of Oppostion (Maharashtra Assembly) Ajit Pawar and Chhagan Bhujbal addressing the media during a press conference ahead of Budget Session, at Vidhan Bhavan, in Mumbai, India, on Sunday, February 26, 2023. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times) (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT PHOTO)

The development came in a meeting in Pune to review eight Lok Sabha constituencies for which several senior leaders were present.

“You people should work together instead of infighting otherwise I will slap you all. Because of all this, we get defamed and not you. It also brings a bad name for (Sharad) Pawar,” he said, adding that an extreme step will be taken if someone resigns from their position.

This was not the first time Ajit was in controversy over his statement. Recently, he was seen scolding party leaders and cadres when they were trying to convince NCP supremo Sharad Pawar to take back his decision of resigning from the party’s national president position.

In 2013, when Ajit was the then deputy chief minister, he stirred a hornets’ nest with his comments ridiculing the acute water scarcity in the state. While referring to a hunger strike undertaken by a drought-affected farmer at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan, Ajit said: “He is on fast for the last 55 days. If there is no water in the dam, how can we release it? Should we urinate into it? If there is no water to drink, even urination is not possible.” He later went on a day-long fast to repent.