Pawar Family Dynamics on Display Amid Festive Celebrations

Sharad Pawar and his supporters gathered in Baramati to celebrate 'Bhau Beej' amid notable absence of Ajit Pawar. The ongoing family rift, stemming from a split in the Nationalist Congress Party, contrasts with previous traditions of familial celebrations. Political stakes add tension to upcoming assembly polls.

The Pawar family drama intensified on Sunday as Sharad Pawar, the Nationalist Congress Party (SP) leader, marked 'Bhau Beej' at his residence in Baramati, Pune district. Absent from the celebration was Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Sharad Pawar's nephew, accentuating the ongoing rift within the prominent political family.

Social media posts by Supriya Sule, Sharad Pawar's daughter and Lok Sabha MP, captured the event, showing a stream of well-wishers and family members paying their respects. The family's tensions trace back to last year when the Nationalist Congress Party split after Ajit Pawar aligned with the Eknath Shinde government, opposing his uncle.

This political fracture has continued to influence the family's traditional celebrations, with Ajit Pawar holding a separate event for Diwali Padva in his native village, Katewadi. As assembly polls loom, the strain between Ajit and Sharad Pawar is palpable, with their respective political ventures set against each other in Baramati's electoral battleground.

(With inputs from agencies.)