Ajit Pawar avoids sitting next to uncle Sharad Pawar at Pune event
Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday attended the AGM of VSI for first time since the NCP split but did not sit next to NCP (SP) chief and the institute’s chairperson Sharad Pawar
PUNE Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday attended the annual general body meeting of Vasantdada Sugar Institute (VSI) for the first time since the NCP split in 2023 but sat at an arm’s length from NCP (SP) chief and the institute’s chairperson Sharad Pawar.

Ajit Pawar is a member of the Pune-based VSI, a prominent research institute of the sugar industry.
While the two were supposed to sit next to each other, as per the initial arrangement, the deputy chief minister moved his nameplate one chair away, allowing state cooperation minister Babasaheb Patil to sit between them.
“Babasaheb wanted to speak to Pawar saheb. I can speak to him (Sharad Pawar) anytime. Even if I sat one chair away, my voice is loud enough for someone further away to hear,” the deputy CM explained when asked about this seat rearrangement.
The NCP chief also held a closed-door meeting with Sharad Pawar and other leaders, including NCP MLA Dilip Walse Patil.
Asked about his absence from the annual general body meetings of VSI over the past two years, Ajit Pawar attributed it to his work commitments, adding in a lighter vein that he was “busy thinking about how to get the maximum number of my members elected”.
The closed-door meeting centred on issues of the sugar industry and was attended by representatives from agriculture, excise, cooperation, and energy departments, all of which are closely associated with the sugar sector, he pointed out.
NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar said “The two captains coming together for a discussion must be welcomed”.
Sharad Pawar, a former Union agriculture minister, addressed the gathering and said, “We need to accept new technology and inculcate AI (Artificial Intelligence) in farming. It is helping to improve the production and quality of sugarcane. We are doing such experiments at Baramati. VSI should take the lead in it in the coming days and ensure that AI is being used in farming.”
