Sharad Pawar meets his estranged nephew Ajit Pawar; draws barbs from ally Sanjay Raut
Mumbai, Mar 22 (PTI): NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar on Saturday met his estranged nephew and Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar at the Pune-based Vasantdada Sugar Institute, drawing sharp comments from ally and Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders do not maintain any contact with those who left, said Raut whose party is part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance along with NCP (SP) and Congress.
A meeting of the governing council of the Vasantdada Sugar Institute, a government-recognized research institute, brought together Sharad Pawar, his party's state president Jayant Patil, and rival NCP leaders Ajit Pawar and Dilip Walse Patil earlier in the day.
"Everything is going fine between them....We do not even try to have any contact with those who quit the Shiv Sena. The way they betrayed Maharashtra and backstabbed it....we will not go anywhere near them," said Raut, referring to leaders of the rival Shiv Sena headed by deputy CM Eknath Shinde.
Last month, Raut had expressed resentment about Sharad Pawar felicitating and praising Shinde who split the Shiv Sena in 2022.
"They (leaders of NCP factions) have (institutions such as) the Vasantdada Sugar Institute, Vidya Pratishthan, Rayat Shikshan Sanstha. We do not have anything like that. We do not have such meetings (with former party colleagues), and if there is a possibility of such a meeting, we avoid it. We do not believe in having dialogue in politics. We will keep fighting those who split our party and teach them a lesson," he said.
Meanwhile, asked about a meeting between her party colleague Jayant Patil and her estranged cousin Ajit Pawar, NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule played down its significance.
Notably, there has been speculation for a long time about Jayant Patil crossing over to the Ajit Pawar faction, though Patil has denied these rumours.
"Vasantdada Sugar Institute has persons from all parties as its members. Issues related to the sugar industry, farmers and allied businesses and new technology were discussed at the governing council meeting. It is an academic meeting where no politics or political ideologies are discussed," Sule told reporters.
Elsewhere, Ajit Pawar said, "We are all members of the VSI, and we met to discuss various issues related to the sugar sector like the use of Artificial Intelligence."
NCP (SP) leader Amol Matale said the meeting between Jayant Patil and Ajit Pawar was not a secret.
"Instead of criticizing others, please see what is going on in your own backyard," said Matale, taking a swipe at Raut.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
