First move towards a patch-up: Kin try to bring together Sharad and Ajit Pawar

Key members of the Sharad Pawar family have met Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar and rebel NCP leader Ajit Pawar in what is being seen as the first sign of a patch-up and damage-control exercise.

On Tuesday, Yugendra Pawar, son of Srinivas Pawar, the elder brother of Ajit Pawar, met Sharad Pawar. Following the meet, Srinivas met Ajit Pawar.

While Srinivas Pawar is a businessman and industrialist and has remained in the shadows with no political aspirations, he is known to have some influence on Ajit Pawar as the two are known to be close to each other.


In 2019, after Ajit Pawar formed a government with the BJP and when Sharad Pawar was angry with Ajit over this, it was Srinivas who was the mediator between two. In fact, Ajit was ensconced to Srinivas's home during the tussle with his uncle, Sharad Pawar, when Ajit had formed the two-day old government with the BJP. It was Srinivas who helped smoothen issues between them. Ajit later resigned from the Fadnavis government and then went on to become the Deputy Chief Minister in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government.

When contacted, Yugendra said his meeting with Sharad Pawar was a 'personal visit'. "This was a personal visit. I have been meeting my grandfather (Sharad Pawar) all the time. This has become big today, because the media happened to be there and with the current situation going on," he said.

On efforts to smoothen things between the two NCP leaders, Yugendra said, "I don't want to comment on any speculation. This is not the first time that I have met him. I am his grandson. I have also travelled with him several times." When asked about Ajit staying at his father's home during the 2019 NCP crisis, Yugendra said, "Well, he (Srinivas) is his brother at the end of the day and we are not into politics. We keep politics and family separate".

He said that despite the political differences, the Pawar family will "always be together".