Tag: Sharad Pawar

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Pawar to field grandnephew from Baramati

NCP President Sharad Pawar may field his grandnephew Yugendra Pawar from Baramati, possibly against uncle and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar or or his younger son Jay Pawar, reports Quaid Najmi

As the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections loom closer, another third-generation scion of the formidable Sharad Pawar clan gets ready to flex political muscles in the family fortress of Baramati.

The Nationalist Congress Party (SP) President Sharad Pawar is likely to field his grandnephew Yugendra Pawar from Baramati where he may be pitted against his uncle, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, or his younger son Jay Ajit Pawar on his political debut.

Indicating another Pawar-versus-Pawar battle in the offing, and with the blessings of Sharad Pawar, NCP(SP) Working President Supriya Sule plus other kin, Yugendra kick-started his ‘Swabhiman Yatra’ from the Maruti Temple in his native Kanheri in Baramati.

In a gap of barely six months, Baramati could be torn in a tussle between two Pawars – Yugendra from the NCP(SP) side and Ajit Pawar or son Jay from the NCP banner – after the ‘bhabhi-nanad’ war in the Lok Sabha polls.

The ‘nanad’ Supriya Sule convincingly vanquished Ajit Pawar’s wife and her Bhabhi, Sunetra, and breezed into the Lok Sabha for the fourth consecutive time.

Interestingly, in the LS polls, Yugendra and his father Shrinivas Pawar had not only slammed Ajit Pawar for breaking the undivided NCP founded by Sharad Pawar 25 years ago, but also campaigned vigorously for Supriya Sule.

Not only was the NCP divided in July 2023, even the close-knit Pawar clan members were at odds against each other, and the ordinary folks in Baramati had a tough time choosing between the daughter (Supriya) and the daughter-in-law (Sunetra) in the hotly-contested LS polls.

In a brief media interaction, Yugendra – who completed his higher studies from the US – said that during the Swabhiman Yatra, he would travel to many villages, go house to house and interact with the people, understand their grievances and issues.

“I have started the Swabhiman Yatra after seeking the blessings of Sharad Pawar Saheb and Supriya-tai. Pawar Saheb has always advised us to remain close to the people and I am doing just that,” said Yugendra.

To a query, he nodded his head and spontaneously said that he would also seek the blessings of his uncle Ajit Pawar for his upcoming political journey, as he embarked on a tour of many of the 200 villages in Baramati, that would take around a fortnight.

Yugendra also recalled how Sharad Pawar Saheb had taught them to refrain from making any personal attacks in politics, to always keep family and politics separate, and this political legacy continued from the times of Yeshwantrao Chavan.

However, on Ajit Pawar’s recent strong statements, Yugendra diplomatically brushed aside queries saying “he is my uncle, and I would not like to make any comments.”

Yugendra, reputed to be a good organiser with a cool demeanour like his grand-uncle, is popular as ‘Yug’ among his friends and family.

He studied in Mumbai and Pune, and then graduated in finance and insurance from Northeastern University, Boston.

He is connected with the Vidya Pratisthan, the chain of educational institutions founded by Sharad Pawar, heads the Baramati Taluka Kustigir Parishad and works as a CEO in one of the companies in the Sharayu Group, headed by his dad.

Ajit Pawar denies reports of demanding CM’s post

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Tuesday denied media reports of demands set forth by him during a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday.

According to the reports, the NCP National President demanded implementation of the Bihar pattern in Maharashtra and making him chief minister after the Assembly elections slated for the second week of November.

Ajit Pawar also clarified that he never proposed to HM Shah a friendly fight on 25 seats.

“There is no truth in reports of a demand for the CM’s post or friendly fight on 25 seats. During my meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday, I discussed a whole range of issues including problems faced by the cotton, soybean and onion growers.

“I made a strong appeal not to ban onion exports. If the farmers are getting more price from the sale of onions, they should get it. Although the Centre has increased the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP), there has been no rise so far in Minimum Support Price (MSP). I strongly urged him to increase the MSP,” he said.

To a question on media reports about the BJP staking claim on over 150 seats, Ajit Pawar said, “The seat sharing formula in the Mahayuti has not yet been finalised. After we fix it we will let you know the details.”

The junior Pawar’s denial came a day after HM Shah had a marathon meeting with nine senior BJP leaders on Sunday night where they made a strong case for the party to contest at least 160 seats and continue playing the ‘Big Brother’s’ role.

The party leaders also argued that after the BJP emerges as the single-largest party, it will be the natural claimant for the CM’s post.

Besides, some of the leaders also appealed to HM Shah to leave seats for Shiv Sena and the NCP based on their strengths and winnability.

Further, Ajit Pawar said that the party has yet to take a decision on nominating its candidates for the three seats from its quota as the Governor’s nominees to the Maharashtra Legislative Council.

He scoffed at media reports about the names of former MP Anand Paranjape, state women’s commission chairperson Rupali Chakankar and party leader Siddharth Kamble as the party’s choice for their nomination from the Governor’s quota.

“I learnt these names from media reports. No names have been finalised yet,” he said.

Ajit Pawar broke his silence over the objections raised by Shiv Sena ministers during the last Cabinet meeting for omitting Chief Minister Shinde’s name from the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Scheme and Dy CM Pawar taking credit for it.

“The Ladki Bahin scheme has been introduced by the Mahayuti government. Constituent parties in the Grand Alliance are trying to frame and promote these schemes in their own ways,” he clarified.

To a question on the possibility of a third front contesting the Assembly election in the state, Ajit Pawar said, “There is talk of a third front. The possibility of a fourth front cannot be ruled out as everyone wants to be an MLA. People of all ages want to become MLAs. Finally, the Constitution has given everyone the right to fight elections. The people are supreme.”

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Sharad Pawar says no dispute in MVA over CM post

Sharad Pawar added many times in the past alliances had gone to the polls without any Chief Ministerial face…reports Asian Lite News

NCP-SCP supremo Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said that the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance has no dispute over the post of Chief Minister and a final decision on the position would be made after the elections in Maharashtra.

Speaking at a press conference in Kolhapur today, Pawar said there was no doubt that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will get the majority in the upcoming legislative assembly elections that are expected to take place later this year.

“There is no dispute about the post of Chief Minister in our alliance. After the elections, we will think about it and make a decision. We have not got the majority yet, but there is no doubt that we will get the majority. Once the elections are over, we will sit and discuss the face of the post of Chief Minister,” he said.

He further added many times in the past alliances had gone to the polls without any Chief Ministerial face.

“This has happened many times before when a party or alliance has gone to the elections without any face. And after the elections, someone has been chosen to run the government. For example, in the elections held immediately after the emergency in 1977, no one was made the candidate for the post of Prime Minister. Jayaprakash Narayan’s name was at the forefront; elections were held and when it came to choosing the Prime Minister, Morarji Desai was chosen as the Prime Minister. Therefore, I believe that there is no need to choose the face for the post of Chief Minister before the elections. After the elections, on the basis of the majority of the public, we will all sit together and after discussing among ourselves, we will choose the face for the post of Chief Minister,” Pawar added.

Speaking on the Badlapur incident and the protest that followed because of it, Pawar said, “Little girls were tortured in Badlapur and this is very disgusting; thousands of people protested and the government alleged that people were brought from outside. Cases were imposed on many of the people who had come there to protest against the government; this filled the minds of the people with anger. It is not right to force cases on people. And it is not a political thing to say that the cases of those who have been booked in this manner should be withdrawn. We did not bring the people who had come there. And there is no issue of politics in this.”

Addressing the issue of the collapse of the 35-foot-tall statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Rajkot Fort in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg district, he said, “Jaydeep Apte, who made this effigy, had very limited experience. As far as the argument that the effigy got damaged due to strong winds and falls is concerned, it is not correct. Because we see that the statue installed near the Gateway of India is not affected by the strong wind, the statue installed in Shivaji Park (Dadar) is not affected by the strong wind. So, it would not be fair to say that the statue fell due to strong wind. The person who was given the work had no experience making such a statue; it was wrong to give such a big work to such a person.”

“Those who have talked about history do not have the right to speak on what Maharaj did. Jaisingh Rao Pawar has said that Shivaji Maharaj had attacked Surat twice, and historian Indrajit Sawant has also supported his statement. Do not tell the wrong history to the people and the new generation. No one should do the work of telling the wrong history. And the opinion expressed by historians in this regard should be respected,” Pawar said while speaking on Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s statement on Shivaji Maharaj’s not attacking and looting Surat.

On the RSS’s statement that caste-based census should only be used for the betterment of those communities or castes that are lagging rather than politics or election practises, Pawar said, “It is the demand of all of us that there should be a caste census. This will create more opportunities for the smaller communities. If caste census is done, then if RSS is in favour of caste census, there is nothing wrong with it.” (ANI)

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I had helped Modi in crisis, recalls Sharad Pawar 

Sharad Pawar said that on one occasion, the then Gujarat CM once called him and said he wanted to visit Israel to study the unique farming techniques there….reports Asian Lite News

Day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed Sharad Pawar over farmers’ plight, the Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief said on Thursday that when he was the Union Minister (2004-2014), he had helped the then Gujarat Chief Minister — now the Prime Minister — a lot for the agricultural crisis in his state.

Sharad Pawar was the Union Agriculture Minister from 2004 to 2014.

He said that on one occasion, the then Gujarat CM once called him and said he wanted to visit Israel to study the unique farming techniques there.

“He used to come to me with the problems of the agriculture sector and even took me to Gujarat. Once he wanted to visit Israel so I took him there also. Whatever Modi says now I am not concerned,” said Pawar.

Years later, Modi became the first Indian PM since Independence to visit Israel in July 2017.

The NCP (SP) supremo’s retort came a day after PM Modi again attacked Sharad Pawar — without taking his name — accusing him of doing nothing for the cause of farmers when he was the Union Agriculture Minister.

Even on earlier occasions during the ongoing Lok Sabha campaign, PM Modi has slammed Pawar for having abandoned the peasantry, and not doing anything for their welfare, while contending that the farmers benefited hugely during the last 10 years of the Bharatiya Janata Party government.

Last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a veiled dig at INDIA bloc parties over purported remarks of NCP leader Sharad Pawar over the possibility of some regional parties merging with the Congress later and said such comment has been made so that these parties can claim status of Leader of Opposition (LoP) after the Lok Sabha polls.

Addressing a huge rally here, PM Modi said that Congress and its allies have accepted defeat after three phases of Lok Sabha polls.

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Pawar: BJP A ‘Washing Machine’ For Corrupt Politicians

Pawar slammed the BJP for giving full-page advertisements on ‘Modi ki Guarantee’ in the newspapers…reports Asian Lite News

Launching a scathing attack on the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, NCP SCP Chief Sharad Pawar termed the Bharatiya Janata Party a “Washing machine” and said it is inducting the leaders with corruption charges from opposite parties and getting them “cleaned”.

Addressing a party convention in Lonavala of Pune district on Thursday, Pawar criticized PM Modi for his continuous criticism of the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

“BJP, on the one hand, talks highly about Mahatma Gandhi, but on the other hand, denigrates Jawaharlal Nehru, lot of freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives went to jail and accepted the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, Subhash Chandra Bose and Jawaharlal Nehru, but PM Modi criticizes Nehru and his policy,” Pawar said.

He further slammed the BJP for giving full-page advertisements on ‘Modi ki Guarantee’ in the newspapers.

“At whose expense the advertisements are given. It is at the expense of the common citizen of India. In these advertisements, Modi talked about doubling or increasing farmer’s income but in the last ten years, the number of suicide farmers has increased,” he said.

Criticizing the BJP for taking Ashok Chavan on its side after making allegations against him for years, “Modi is talking about corruption. A few days ago, a booklet was distributed in the Parliament in which there was a reference to the Aadarsh Scam, and in the next few days, Ashok Chavan, who had faced allegedly cases in the said scam, joined the BJP and made Rajya Sabha MP.”

Reacting to the claims made by Prime Minister Modi last year that the NCP has committed corruption worth Rs 70,000 crore, Pawar said that now the BJP is sitting cold on such allegations.

“During the Bhopal rally, Modi said NCP has a corrupt leader and talked about an irrigation scam worth Rs 70,000 crores. Then I categorically denied allegations of involvement of NCP leaders and dared that they should initiate the inquiry by appointing a judge from the Supreme Court, but now they are not saying anything,” he said.

Pawar further mentioned that the BJP has gone silent on their allegations since nephew Ajit Pawar went to their side.

“Against whom the allegations were made, you can see where they are now?” he said, adding that “therefore, the BJP is like a washing machine, where clothes get directly cleaned and the same way leaders who are facing corruption charges from opposite parties are being inducted and getting cleaned.”

Earlier on February 21, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis felicitated and congratulated the BJP’s newly elected Rajya Sabha members, including Congress turncoat Ashok Chavan.

Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in Mumbai on February 13.

The 65-year-old was welcomed at the BJP office in south Mumbai, attended by key leaders, including Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and BJP State President Chandrashekhar Bawankule. (ANI)

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Setback for Sharad Pawar as NCP symbol goes to Ajit faction

The poll panel has given the Nationalist Congress Party name and symbol to the faction led by Ajit Pawar in a significant decision that has a bearing on the forthcoming polls….reports Asian Lite News

In a big setback to the faction led by Sharad Pawar, the Election Commission on Tuesday settled the dispute in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in favour of the faction led by the petitioner Ajit Pawar.

The poll panel has given the Nationalist Congress Party name and symbol to the faction led by Ajit Pawar in a significant decision that has a bearing on the forthcoming polls.

The Commission has provided the Sharad Pawar faction with a one-time option to claim a name to its new political formation and provide three preferences to the Commission. The concession is to be utilised by 3 pm on February 7, 2024.

The decision was taken after more than 10 hearings spread over more than six months.

The poll panel said that the decision followed the laid-out tests of maintainability of the petition, which included tests of aims and objectives of the party constitution, test of party constitution and tests of a majority both organizational and legislative.

The hearings, which commenced on July 1 last year between factions led by Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar saw strong legal teams from both sides including Mukul Rohatgi, Neeraj Kishan Kaul and Maninder Singh for the petitioner and Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Devdatt Kamat from the respondent.

The test of majority in the legislative wing found favour in this circumstance of the case, where both groups have been found to be working outside the party constitution and the organizational elections, the poll panel said.

The occupants of the post were primarily assessed to be appointed by self-nominated members of the electoral college and against the internal party democracy.

Serious inconsistencies in terms of timelines in the claim of the Sharad Pawar group, in support of their claim of having the organizational majority, resulted in unreliability of their claim, it said.

Taking into account the significant timeline of the elections to the 6 seats of Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra which were notified through ECI press note of January 29, 2024, the Sharad Pawar faction has been given a special concession to comply with Rule 39AA of Conduct of Elections Rules 1961, which allow the authorised agents of political parties to verify as to whom an elector, who is a member of a political party has cast his vote.

Using its powers under Para 18 of the Symbols Order, the poll panel has provided the Sharad Pawar faction, the respondent, “a one-time option to claim a name to its new political formation and provide three preferences to the Commission”.

The implications of the para 15 of the symbol order, i.e. the ruling as laid down in the matter of amalgamation of Indian Congress (socialist) and Nationalist Congress Party, ECI order of Aug 4, 1999 was relied upon in the present matter pertaining to Rajya Sabha elections.

Going beyond the recommendations of political parties of need of maintaining transparency in internal affairs, the Commission expressed hope that political parties will adopt good disclosure practices of organizational elections and internal party democracy.

It advised, in its order, that perhaps time has come for political parties to consider “voluntary wider public disclosures of party constitution, amendments thereof, if any internal electoral steps such as publication of electoral college, dates of elections, time and venue of elections of different tiers, candidates, compliant redressal mechanisms within their organizations, and list of elected office bearers, etc”.

“Such disclosures on their websites shall keep the most valuable stakeholder of electoral democracy, that is the electorate at large duly informed,” the poll panel said. (ANI)

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