Ajit Pawar

Some Lesser Known Facts About Ajit Pawar

• Ajit Pawar is an Indian politician from Maharashtra and the nephew of the veteran politician, Sharad Pawar.

• Ajit Pawar was born into a powerful political family at his grandfather’s place in Deolali Pravara.

• While he was pursuing his primary schooling, at Deolali Pravara, his uncle, Sharad Pawar had become a renowned political figure in the ruling Congress party in Maharashtra.

• After his schooling in Deolali, he was sent to Bombay (now, Mumbai) to pursue his graduation; however, after the demise of his father, he left college and started looking after his family. 

• Ajit Pawar entered into active politics in 1982 when he was elected to the board of a cooperative sugar factory in Pune.

• In 1991, he was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Baramati constituency for the first time; however, when his uncle, Sharad Pawar, became the Defence Minister in P. V. Narasimha Rao’s government, Ajit Pawar vacated his Lok Sabha seat in favour of Sharad Pawar.

• In the same year, he was elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from Baramati for the first time and went on to be re-elected from the same constituency in 1995, 1999, 2004, 2009, and 2014.

• In his political career, so far, he has handled numerous portfolios, including agriculture, irrigation, power, and finance. 

• Ajit Pawar is popularly known as ‘Dada’ (elder brother) by his followers and close ones; mostly among the NCP youth wing.

  

• He is so popular among his followers that they often recite the choruses of ‘Ekach Dada Ajit Dada.’ 

• The Pune-Pimpri-Chinchwad belt is considered to be Ajit’s stronghold, and he has many contacts with the builder community in this region.

• Sources close to him often quote that Ajit Pawar has no interest in art and culture, films and technology, except a liking for expensive watches and pens. ^[16]Outlook

• Ajit Pawar is a staunch Marathi speaker and is extremely uncomfortable in any other language.

• Ajit Pawar is considered such a private person that he doesn’t attend events or parties and even his wife Sunetra and two sons are never seen at his campaign rallies. He is, however, known for his punctuality and decisiveness.

• His close associates claim that he can cut people down to the point of humiliating them publicly, regardless of seniority. This has cost him his relationships with senior leaders like Chaggan Bhujbal and Suresh Kalmadi. ^[17]Outlook

  

• Ajit Power has often attracted controversy with his offbeat statements, like in February 2011, on his working philosophy, he said,
  

  “Nothing can happen in politics unless you are a thug. I am a ruffian.”

  In the same year, on media reporting farmer’s issue, he said,

  You people should be banned…you’ll understand when you are beaten up.”

  In April 2013, he said,

  I have noticed that more children are being born, now that the lights are going off in the night. There is no other work left then.” ^[18]Outlook

  In April 2013, on drought crisis in Maharashtra, he said,

  If there is no water in the dam, should we urinate into it?

• Ajit Pawar, in fact, is considered a strange mix of ambition, arrogance, and aggression. ^[19]Outlook

• According to sources, these statements and a power-hungry attitude of Ajit Pawar have led Senior Pawar to have increasing doubts about Ajit’s ability to take on a larger role. This is apparent in how Pawar has started focusing on his daughter Supriya Sule. ^[20]Outlook

  

• In the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly Elections, he won by 1,66,000 votes, the highest in the state. However, when the state witnessed a hung assembly, in a dramatic turn, Ajit Pawar aligned with the BJP and took the oath of the Deputy Chief Minister on 23 November 2019. Ajit Pawar apparently attached the attendance sheet of 54 NCP legislators to his covering letter and handed it to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.

• Reportedly, he wanted to split the NCP and had been planning his move since the Lok Sabha elections held in May 2019; as in the elections, his son, Parth had tasted defeat; a first in the Pawar Family.

• On 13 March 2024, he mentioned his mother’s name on his official nameplate that read ‘Ajit Ashatai Anantrao Pawar,’ mentioning his mother’s name before that of his father’s name. This was based on a Maharashtra cabinet’s decision that made it mandatory for all children born on or after 1 May 2024 to include the name of their mother in all government documents. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also changed their nameplates. ^[21]The Indian Express