Ajit Pawar to nephew Rohit: ‘Had I held a rally, imagine what would have happened’

NCP-SP's Rohit Pawar retained his Karjat Jamkhed seat in Ahilyanagar district by defeating BJP's Ram Shinde by a thin margin of 1,243 votes

Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar took a jibe at NCP-SP leader Rohit Pawar on Monday, saying if he had campaigned in his nephew's assembly constituency, it would have been challenging for the latter to secure a victory, reported news agency PTI.

In the recently concluded Maharashtra assembly elections, Rohit Pawar, the grandnephew of NCP-SP chief Sharad Pawar, successfully retained his Karjat Jamkhed seat in Ahilyanagar district, defeating BJP's Ram Shinde by a narrow margin of 1,243 votes.

While attending the memorial of Y B Chavan, Rohit and Ajit Pawar came face to face.

The senior Pawar congratulated his nephew and asked him to come take his blessings and touch his feet. He said, “Come, take my blessings. You barely survived (in retaining the seat). Had I held a rally (in Karjat Jamkhed), imagine what would have happened.”

The NCP (SP) leader later told reporters that despite their (political) differences, Ajit Pawar is a "father figure" to him.

"In the 2019 elections, he (Ajit) helped me immensely and since he is my uncle, it was my responsibility to touch his feet. In this land which belongs to Chavan Saheb, the tradition and values given by him need to be followed and we are doing the same," he said.

Asked about Ajit Pawar's friendly jab, Rohit Pawar said it is true that had his uncle held a rally (in Karjat Jamkhed), things would have been different. "But he was busy in Baramati and could not get time to come to the constituency," he said.

Later, Ajit Pawar denied commenting and stated, “I did not say that. I only congratulated him and wished him to do good work ahead.”

Ajit Pawar retained his Baramati seat in the Maharashtra assembly elections by more than one lakh votes, defeating NCP (SP) candidate Yugendra Pawar, who is also his nephew.