Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday slammed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Chandrakant Patil’s remarks against Sharad Pawar, saying they would “probably prove costly” for his wife Sunetra, who is contesting the Lok Sabha elections against his sister-in-law Supriya Sule in Baramati.
Sunetra Pawar lost by 1,58,333 votes to incumbent NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) MP Supriya Sule, Sharad Pawar’s daughter and Ajit Pawar’s cousin.
“I am surprised by the verdict in Baramati,” Ajit Pawar said.
He was holding a meeting of NCP legislators following the party’s poor performance in the Lok Sabha elections, where the NCP managed to win only one seat, Raigad.
See also: After losing Baramati, what does Ajit Pawar’s future hold?
“(BJP minister) Chandrakant Patil’s remarks about wanting to finish off Sharad Pawar in Baramati have been costly for us,” Pawar said. This is not the first time that an NCP leader has expressed displeasure over a BJP leader’s remarks.
“The BJP wants to defeat Sharad Pawar at any cost,” Chandrakant Patil said.
“Sharad Pawar was not a candidate from Baramati Assembly constituency. It was a wrong statement by Patil and after he said it, we asked him to stop campaigning in Baramati and shifted to campaigning in Pune. Later, Patil did not say anything about it,” Ajit Pawar said.
See also: With Ajit’s defeat, Baramati declared who would carry on Pawar’s legacy.
During the election campaign, Supriya Sule had slammed the BJP over Patil’s remarks and alleged that the party was trying to ruin her father politically.
“These are not my words. These are state BJP leader Chandrakant Patil’s words. He came to Baramati and said he wants to finish Sharad Pawar. These are not my words. BJP leaders have said this,” she said.
Sule’s cousin Ajit, who split the party last year in rebellion against his father Sharad Pawar, is known to have a lot of support in the family’s stronghold of Baramati, leading many political commentators to feel it would be difficult for Sule to win a fourth consecutive term.
