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Member of Vidya Prathisthan and close associate of the Pawar family, Kiran Gujar, on Friday said that NCP chief Ajit Pawar's last wish was to unite the two party factions.
Ajit Pawar's sons Parth and Jay collected their father's ashes at Vidya Prathisthan Ground after his last rites were performed on Thursday, following his demise in a plane crash in Baramati. Speaking to reporters after the ceremony, Kiran Gujar said, "Today, the ashes of Ajit Pawar were immersed at Sangam here. It was 'Dada's' last wish that this (merger of two factions of NCP) should happen. All should be united. Talks about this were happening throughout the family. In my last phone call with them, he had asked me for some election-related papers." NCP and NCP (SCP) contested the Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation elections in an alliance, and there were talks of an alliance for the upcoming Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti polls. Amid this, there were speculations that the two factions would come together under one symbol before Ajit Pawar passed away. His death has sparked fresh speculation in Maharashtra politics. Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC asked the public not to indulge in such speculations. She stated that the decision on the new NCP chief and the Maharashtra Deputy CM post lies with the party. Shaina NC said, "I don't think this is the time for any kind of speculation. We have just lost Ajit Dada, a great loss to the state of Maharashtra. It is the NCP's decision who to make the party president and who to make the deputy chief minister. These are all speculative theories that can wait. Politics will go on. Let the family grieve." Ajit Pawar's last rites were carried out with full state honours at the Vidya Pratishthan ground in Baramati, where his sons lit the funeral pyre and carried out the final rituals. Several prominent leaders and dignitaries, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, NCP (SCP) chief Sharad Pawar, and actor Riteish Deshmukh, attended the funeral and paid their last respects. A large number of people also gathered at the Vidya Pratishthan ground to bid him a final farewell, and supporters of Ajit Pawar chanted "Ajit Dada amar rahe" (Long live Ajit Pawar) as his mortal remains were brought to the ground. (ANI)
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