Pune: Ajit Pawar Removes Nephew from Taluka Kustigir Parishad; Sparks Speculation of Internal Conflict Within Pawar Family

Baramati, 6th June 2024: Ajit Pawar’s departure from the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) last year to form the Shinde-Fadnavis-Pawar Government intensified the personal stakes in the Baramati Lok Sabha elections for the veteran leader Sharad and his nephew Ajit, leading to a split within the NCP. Ajit Pawar’s wife, representing Mahayuti, lost to his cousin sister and Sharad’s daughter, Supriya Sule, representing Mahavikas Aghadi.

Following this defeat, Ajit Pawar took a significant step by removing his nephew and Sharad Pawar’s supporter, Yugendra Pawar, from the post of President of Baramati Taluka Kustigir Parishad. This move underscores the deepening discord within the Pawar family despite the Lok Sabha election results.

In Maharashtra, only 17 seats were secured by Mahayuti in the Lok Sabha elections, significantly fewer than the initially claimed victory of more than 45 constituencies. Ajit Pawar’s NCP managed to secure only one seat out of the four contested. After the split, Ajit Pawar attempted to make the election personal, but he failed to achieve success.

Calling a meeting of Baramati Taluka Kustigir Parishad members, Ajit Pawar decided to remove Yugendra Pawar from his position as President, allegedly due to his absence from meetings. Yugendra Pawar responded, “There is no information about this decision. No one has officially informed me of my removal from the post of President. A meeting of the Kustigir Parishad was held, and something has been decided. That’s the extent of my knowledge.”

Tensions within the family have been visible, as evidenced by campaign dynamics before the Lok Sabha elections. Despite these tensions, Supriya Sule reportedly attempted to mitigate family discord by visiting Ajit Pawar’s mother on polling day.

Now, with Ajit Pawar’s swift decision to remove Yugendra Pawar from his position within 48 hours of the election results, the question remains whether conflict within the Pawar family will escalate further, a development worth observing closely.