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.
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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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