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Asha Pawar, the mother of NCP leader and Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, exercised her voting rights as polling for 2,359 gram panchayats began in the state on Sunday. This elections marks the first in the state since Ajit Pawar rebelled against his uncle Sharad Pawar and joined hands with the BJP-Shiv Sena government.
After casting her vote, Pawar's mother, who is 86-years-old, while speaking to the media, expressed her wish for her son to be the chief minister of Maharashtra. "Everyone in Baramati loves him; everyone talks about him. Also, being a mother, I feel that my son should become the Chief Minister. I am currently 84 years old, and like others, I would also like to see Ajit Pawar become the Chief Minister in my lifetime. Let's see what happens ahead. What more can I say here now? All the people in Baramati are our own people, and everyone loves Dada (Ajit Pawar)," she said when asked about the chances of Ajit Pawar being the CM. Elections are being held for 2,950 posts of gram panchayat members and 130 directly elected sarpanch from 2,068 gram panchayats in the state which are vacant due to reasons such as disqualification, death, resignation, etc. The elections for panchayats include the Katewadi Gram Panchayat of Baramati, the stronghold of the Pawar family. The gram panchayat elections in Maharashtra are not fought under specific election symbols. Nevertheless, they hold significant importance, particularly in the midst of intense political rivalries between parties and local leadership, where local-level alliances are formed and broken. The counting of votes will be held on November 6. The NCP split on July 2 when Ajit Pawar and eight MLAs joined the Eknath Shinde government, following which the group led by party founder Sharad Pawar submitted petitions seeking their disqualification. (ANI)
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