Ajit Pawar admits fielding wife Sunetra against cousin Supriya in Baramati was a mistake
The high-profile contest saw Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party lose both seats it contested in western Maharashtra - to Sharad Pawar's faction of the NCP
Mumbai: Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Tuesday acknowledged that his decision to field his wife Sunetra against his cousin Supriya Sule, daughter of Sharad Pawar, in the Baramati Lok Sabha constituency was an error in judgement.
Sule, a three-term member of Parliament, defeated Sunetra by a substantial margin of 158,000 votes in the recent Lok Sabha polls. The high-profile contest saw Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) lose both seats it contested in western Maharashtra—Baramati and Shirur—to Sharad Pawar's NCP (Sharad Pawar).
Speaking to the Marathi news channel Jai Maharashtra during his statewide tour, Pawar expressed regret over allowing politics to infiltrate family affairs. "Politics should not be allowed to enter the home, where I made a mistake. I should not have fielded Sunetra against my sister," he said.
Pawar clarified that the decision was made by the party's parliamentary board. "You cannot do anything once an arrow is released from the bow. Now I feel it should not have happened," he added.
The defeat has raised questions about Ajit Pawar's ability to garner support from NCP's traditional voters in western Maharashtra. Despite his efforts and goodwill, his wife's loss to Sule was significant.
The deputy chief minister's comments came during his "Jan Sanman Yatra", a tour promoting various welfare schemes, particularly the "Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana" (MMLBY). Under this scheme, the state government plans to provide monthly financial assistance of ₹1,500 to women, transferred directly to beneficiaries' bank accounts.