Praful Patel Labels Ajit Pawar's ‘Mistake’ Statement as a ‘Personal Matter’

Praful Patel, a senior leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), commented on Ajit Pawar’s recent acknowledgment that fielding his wife Sunetra against his cousin Supriya Sule in the Lok Sabha elections was a mistake. Patel described the issue as a "personal matter" within the Pawar family and suggested it was not appropriate for him to comment further. “It is a personal and family matter. Ajit Pawar is a senior leader in Maharashtra and the president of our party. If he has expressed his thoughts, then I believe it’s best for me to refrain from further comment,” Patel told reporters.

Last July, Ajit Pawar split from the NCP led by his uncle, veteran politician Sharad Pawar, and formed a separate faction. This new faction allied with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena, with Ajit Pawar becoming Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister. The Election Commission has recognized Ajit Pawar’s faction as the legitimate NCP, while Sharad Pawar’s faction has contested this in the Supreme Court.

Following the split, Ajit Pawar decided to field his wife Sunetra from the Baramati Lok Sabha seat, a family stronghold. Despite this move, Supriya Sule, Sharad Pawar’s daughter, defeated Sunetra by over 155,000 votes to secure her seat for the fourth time. Recently, Ajit Pawar admitted that the decision to pit Sunetra against his cousin was a significant error. “I care deeply for my sisters and regret allowing politics to interfere with family matters. The decision to field Sunetra against my sister was a mistake, though it was made by the parliamentary board. I now believe it was wrong,” he stated. In the 2024 general elections, the Mahayuti coalition, which includes Ajit Pawar's faction, won 17 out of 48 parliamentary seats in Maharashtra, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (Congress-NCP-Shiv Sena [UBT]) secured 31 seats.