Daijiworld Media Network – Nagpur

Nagpur, Sep 19: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday defended his 2023 decision to break away from his uncle Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and ally with the BJP–Shiv Sena government, insisting the move was driven by a desire to ensure “stability and progress in Maharashtra,” not by personal ambition.

Speaking at the ongoing NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) Chintan Shivir in Nagpur, the deputy CM said, “We are in alliance with the BJP and Shiv Sena, and many people ask why I separated from the undivided NCP despite the strain on family ties. I did this not for power or position, but to ensure stability and progress in Maharashtra.”

Pawar thanked Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for their “large-hearted support” of the state’s development, adding that his demands for Maharashtra have always been “accepted positively.”

Ajit Pawar, who has taken oath as Deputy CM three times in four years, repeatedly questioned the continued leadership of his 83-year-old uncle before the split. In a public outburst, he had asked, “In BJP, leaders retire at 75. Your age is 83—will you ever stop or not? Give us blessings and let new people take charge.”

Sharad Pawar had retorted that he remained effective “whether 82 or 92.” After a disappointing Lok Sabha performance earlier this year, Ajit Pawar had admitted he at times wondered if turning away from the family was a “mistake,” but on Thursday he underscored that the step was “for Maharashtra’s progress above all else.”