"No comments...": Ajit Pawar on rejoining hands with Sharad Pawar for upcoming Maharashtra polls

New Delhi [India], August 15 : NCP chief and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has refused to comment on his uncle and NCP (SP) leader Sharad Pawar's remarks on the possibility of their joining hands again and said he will fight the coming assembly polls as part of the ruling Mahayuti alliance in the state.
"No comments," Ajit Pawar said when asked about recent remarks of Sharad Pawar about his return to the party which were not an invitation but did not rule out the possibility also.
In an exclusive interview with ANI, Ajit Pawar said that though the ruling Mahayuti alliance, comprising BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP, did not fare to expectations in the Lok Sabha polls held earlier this year, the vote difference with MVA or INDIA bloc parties was very marginal.
Ajit Pawar had joined the BJP-Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra led by Eknath Shinde in July last year causing a split in NCP.
Sharad Pawar had said last month that those who stood with him during tough times would decide if his nephew Ajit Pawar will have a place in the party. He said it would not be his personal decision. Maharashtra will face assembly polls later this year.
Answering a query, Ajit Pawar said Sharad Pawar has been in politics for over six decades and they will continue to respect him.
"People see Pawar Sahab as a senior leader. We have decided that we will continue to respect him in the future as well. Pawar Sahab has been in politics for almost 62 years and around two-three generations have witnessed his politics. Supriya Sule and Sharad Pawar's style of politics are not the same; everyone has their way. With each generation, there is a change, and Supriya does what she feels is right. Pawar Sahab always tries to keep the young generation close, talks to them, and tries to adjust to the times," Ajit Pawar said.
"I want to say that we will contest this assembly election as part of Mahayuti. We will endeavour to get a clear majority in it. We are convincing the voters who have all the power. Our rallies are going on in which all the big leaders are participating. Opposition is doing its work. The final decision will be of the voters only," he added.
Ajit Pawar has embarked on 'Jan Sanman Yatra' as part of preparations for the assembly polls.
The INDIA bloc parties won 30 (Congress 13, Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray 9, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) 8) of 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra. Ajit Pawar's NCP won one of four seats it contested, Shiv Sena won seven and BJP won nine seats.
"You should ask the Election Commission, how many votes Mahayuti got and how many Aghadi got. You will find that there was (less than) 0.6 per cent difference. There is an assembly constituency in Malegaon where around 1,98,000 votes were cast. Of this, 1,94,000 votes went to the Congress candidate and only 4,000 votes to the Mahayuti candidate. I was told that this is a minority-dominated area. People told me that they were instructed to line up in the morning and vote," Ajit Pawar said.
Speaking about his wife Sunetra Pawar contesting against Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule from Baramati in the Lok Sabha elections, Ajit Pawar said he believes that family members should not contest against each other in the polls.
"My nature is such that I say whatever I feel. Whatever happened, I am responsible for it, no one else is at fault. I feel that this shouldn't have happened. It was wrong for the family because we have all lived together since our grandmother's time. That's why I feel that when family members stand against each other, one will win, and the other will lose," he said.
Supriya Sule won the seat with a margin of over 1.5 lakh votes.
He said NCP had to give up Parbhani Lok Sabha seat during seat negotiations within the ruling alliance in Maharashtra.
"We took the Dharashiv seat....I always try to do what I believe is right. The rest of the decisions are made after discussions with party leaders," Ajit Pawar added.