'A mistake was made...' Brother Ajit regrets making his wife contest against his sister; What did the NCP leader say about the Pawar family?

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Tuesday said he made a mistake by fielding his wife Sunetra Pawar against cousin Supriya Sule in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections.

Ajit, who is leading the 'Jan Samman Yatra' across the state as a part of his effort to reach out to voters ahead of the assembly elections proposed at the end of the year in Maharashtra, said politics should be kept outside the home and family.

In the Lok Sabha elections, Sunetra Pawar challenged Nationalist Congress Party-Sharad Chandra Pawar (NCP-SP) candidate Supriya Sule, who is the daughter of Ajit's uncle Sharad Pawar, from Baramati seat in Maharashtra. Although Sunetra had to face defeat in this election, she was later elected to the Rajya Sabha.

In July last year, Ajit Pawar and his loyal MLAs joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena-BJP government, splitting the NCP in two. Later, the Election Commission declared the faction led by Ajit as the real NCP.

Politics should not be allowed to enter the home: Ajit Pawar

Ajit said, "I love all my sisters. Politics should be kept out of the family. I made a mistake by fielding Sunetra against my sister. This should not have happened, but the parliamentary board (of NCP) took this decision. Now I feel that this decision was wrong."

I will meet Supriya on Raksha Bandhan: Ajit Pawar

When asked if he would visit his sister on Raksha Bandhan next week, Ajit said he was on a trip right now and if he and his sisters were at the same place on that day, he would definitely meet them.

The Deputy Chief Minister said that he has decided to speak only on the issues of development and welfare schemes for farmers, women and youth and not to respond to the criticism against him.

What did Ajit say about uncle Sharad Pawar?

Ajit also said that Sharad Pawar is a senior leader and the head of his family, so he will not respond to any of his criticism.

On the question of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena targeting Sharad Pawar, Ajit said that the allies of the Mahayuti alliance should also understand what they are saying. He said, "When we sit together, I express my opinion."

These days, Ajit is also promoting the 'Chief Minister Ladki Behen Yojana', under which financial help of Rs. 1500 is provided to women every month.