In Baramati, it is family time

Sharad Pawar turns the heat on Ajit

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NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar turned the heat on his estranged nephew and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar on Tuesday, virtually accusing him of breaking up the family for his political ambitions.

At the same time, defending the decision to field his grand-nephew Yugendra Pawar against nephew Ajit in the Baramati assembly seat, the senior Pawar underlined the democratic right to contest elections and the need for peaceful campaigning. He declared, "Be it Ajit or Yugendra, everyone has the right to contest."

His daughter and MP from Baramati, Supriya Sule, said the fight was not within the family, but between the NCP and the power-hungry BJP. "This is democracy...This is not a contest between uncle and nephew. This is our ideological fight against BJP. Our fight is not with an individual...This is NCP vs 'hegemonistic' BJP," she said.