PUNE: Reacting to Ajit Pawar’s mother Ashatai’s statement calling for family unity on Wednesday, NCP national working president Praful Patel described 84-year-old Sharad Pawar as a father figure.
“We went to wish him on his birthday, and we would like to maintain a good relationship with him. Nobody knows what will happen tomorrow, but if at all they come together again, we’ll be very happy,” he said.
The call for unity within the Pawar family has also been echoed by other members in the past, including Sunanda Pawar, mother of MLA Rohit Pawar. Union minister of state for social justice and RPI chief Ramdas Athawale also voiced support for a reunion.
“…The experience of a senior politician like Sharad Pawar will be valuable for NDA govt. He should leave Congress, which did not make him PM, and join NDA,” he said.
NCP chief and Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar’s mother Ashatai expressed her wish for the reunion of her son and her brother-in-law Sharad Pawar. Speaking in Pandharpur after offering prayers at Vitthal-Rukmini temple Wednesday, she told reporters: “I wished that the differences within the Pawar family end at the earliest. I hope Pandurang answers my prayers.”
Her appeal comes amid ongoing speculation about reconciliation between uncle &nephew following the 2023 split in NCP and the family.The call for unity within the Pawar family has also been echoed by other members. On Dec 13, Sunanda Pawar, mother of MLA Rohit Pawar, had similarly appealed for the reunion of NCP founder Sharad and Ajit.
Speculation about their reconciliation were fuelled by Ajit’s visit to his uncle’s home in New Delhi on Dec 12, accompanied by his family and senior NCP members, to wish him on his birthday.
This marked their first personal meeting since the split.