Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar And Fellow Rebels Meet NCP Chief Sharad Pawar In Mumbai

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and some fellow rebels met Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Sharad Pawar in Mumbai on Sunday.

This was the first meeting between the two Pawars since Ajit effectively split the party into two factions earlier this month after he along with eight NCP leaders, top NCP leaders Chhagan Bhujbal And Praful Patel, joined the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government. 

Patel told media that they met Sharad to seek his blessings and to request the party to stay united. 

"We all came here to seek the blessings of respected Sharad Pawar today. We requested Pawar sahib that NCP should stay united. On this, Sharad Pawar did not give any reaction," said Patel.

Ajit was joined by Patel, Bhujbal, Hasan Mushrif, Aditi Tatkare, and Dilip Walse Patil in the meeting with his uncle and NCP founder Sharad, reported PTI, adding that Sharad-led faction's sources said that NCP state president Jayant Patil and party leader Jitendra Awhad also reached for the meeting. 

The meeting between the two Pawars come two days after Ajit visited Silver Oak, the official residence of the Sharad, to meet aunt Pratibha Pawar after she underwent a surgery at a hospital in Mumbai.

Ajit is known to be close to his aunt Pratibha, reported PTI, adding that, in 2019, she reportedly played a crucial role in bringing him back to the NCP fold after he and Devendra Fadnavis formed a short-lived government after the Assembly polls