Pune, November 10 (Language) Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar met Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar here on Friday, increasing speculation in the political circles of the state.
Sharad Pawar’s daughter and NCP Lok Sabha member Supriya Sule said that the meeting was not political.
This is the second meeting between uncle and nephew after the Ajit Pawar-led group joined the Eknath Shinde-led government in Maharashtra in July.
The hour-long meeting on Friday was held at the house of Prataprao Pawar, 83, Sharad Pawar’s brother and owner of Sakal Media Group.
Sule said that Pratap Pawar’s wife is unwell and Pawar family members had gathered at his house on Friday in this regard.
“Due to his illness, it will not be possible for the entire family to attend the Pawar family’s Diwali celebrations,” he said.
Sule said, “Our political ideologies are different, yet we maintain our personal relations. There is a difference between professional and personal life. Every year, members of the Pawar family gather in Baramati for Diwali celebrations. However, this year my aunt is unwell, so we planned to visit her residence.”
NCP’s Ajit Pawar faction leader Ankush Kakde said doctors have advised Ajit Pawar, who is recovering from dengue, to take complete rest and asked him to stay away from large gatherings to avoid infection.
Ajit Pawar faction leader and state cooperation minister Dilip Walse Patil also met Sharad Pawar in Pune on Friday.
He said there was nothing political in his meeting with the NCP founder. “It was a scheduled meeting to discuss the issues of Rayat Shikshan Sansthan headed by Sharad Pawar Sahab,” the minister later told reporters.
NCP sources said that after meeting his uncle in Pune, Ajit Pawar left for Delhi to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Ajit Pawar has staked claim on the name and election symbol of the Nationalist Congress Party founded by Sharad Pawar.
Sources said the Sharad Pawar-led group has informed the Election Commission that the Ajit Pawar-led faction has submitted more than 20,000 fake affidavits to the commission to stake claim to the party.
Language Zoheb Suresh
Suresh
