Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday attended the annual general body meeting of Vasantdada Sugar Institute (VSI) for the first time since the NCP split in 2023 but sat at an arm's length from NCP (SP) chief and the institute's chairperson Sharad Pawar.
Ajit Pawar is a member of the Pune-based VSI, a prominent research institute of the sugar industry.
While the two were supposed to sit next to each other as per the initial arrangement, the Deputy Chief Minister moved his nameplate one chair away, allowing state cooperation minister Babasaheb Patil to sit between them.
"Babasaheb wanted to speak to Pawar saheb. I can speak to him (Sharad Pawar) anytime. Even if I sat one chair away, my voice is loud enough for someone further away to hear," the deputy Chief Minister explained when asked about this seat rearrangement.
The NCP chief also held a closed-door meeting with Sharad Pawar and other leaders, including NCP MLA Dilip Walse Patil.
Asked about his absence from the annual general body meetings of VSI over the past two years, Ajit Pawar attributed it to his work commitments, adding in a lighter vein that he was "busy thinking about how to get the maximum number of my members elected".
The closed-door meeting centred on issues of the sugar industry and was attended by representatives from agriculture, excise, cooperation, and energy departments, all of which are closely associated with the sugar sector, he pointed out.
NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar said "the two captains coming together for a discussion must be welcomed".
Queried about this meeting, Maharashtra BJP chief and state minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said he did not know if the discussion was political in nature.
"If it was political, then Ajit dada had to discuss it among the Mahayuti. If it was personal, then it was purely a family affair," Mr Bawankule said.
During his speech at the meeting, Ajit Pawar suggested increasing the prize money of two awards from Rs 10,000 to Rs 1 lakh.
The suggestion was accepted and an announcement to this effect was made by Sharad Pawar during his address.
Sharad Pawar, a former Union agriculture minister, addressed the gathering despite being unwell. He was seen coughing during his 18-minute address.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
