After sharing the stage with NCP chief Sharad Pawar in Pune, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar stated on Tuesday that they have not separated. Ajit made this statement while speaking in Shirur, Pune, during the inauguration of a memorial for the late BJP MLA Baburao Pacharne.

“I remember during an election, Popatrao (Pawar) was Saheb’s (Sharad Pawar) candidate, and Baburao (Pacharne) was my candidate. But that doesn’t mean we were separated. We were together then, and we are still together today,” Ajit said with a smile, receiving applause from the gathering.

The statement came shortly after Ajit and his uncle attended an award ceremony where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was honored with the Lokmanya Tilak Award in Pune. Despite opposition coalition concerns and requests to refrain from attending, Pawar chose to attend the program.

Ajit later clarified to the media that they are united as a family and may hold different political positions.

“Family is family. When my aunt (Sharad Pawar’s wife, Pratibha) underwent surgery, I visited her on July 15, days after the split. Our political stances might differ, but our family communication is a separate matter,” the Deputy Chief Minister explained.

Last month, Ajit, along with his rebel MLAs, split from the NCP and met Pawar multiple times to convince him to join the BJP-led NDA. While most NCP MLAs and senior leaders sided with Ajit, who later joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government, they also claimed the NCP name and election symbol before the election commission.

Despite this, there has been no public criticism of Ajit by any NCP leaders, including senior Pawar. Both sides have maintained complete silence and refrained from targeting each other. Furthermore, Ajit, as the Finance Minister, allocated funds for NCP MLAs who remain loyal to senior Pawar. In the state Assembly, senior leaders from both factions can be seen laughing and chatting with each other.

Senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Ashok Chavan emphasized that Pawar needs to clarify the confusion. While attending an event organized by a non-government organization may not be wrong, it creates confusion and speculation when the opposition forms a coalition called INDIA. Chavan suggested that Pawar saheb should clarify his stance.