Sharad Pawar named Suproya Sule a working presidemt of the NCP on Saturday.
Supriya Sule, the daughter of veteran political leader Sharad Pawar, took allegations of nepotism head on today after being chosen as one of the two working president of her father's Nationalist Congress Party.
"Which party does not have nepotism? You cannot selectively use nepotism," she told reporters when asked about the matter.
"Why can't we talk about performance when we talk about nepotism? Look at my parliamentary data. Parliament is not run by my father or uncle or my mother. Lok Sabha data shows I'm top of the chart. There is no nepotism. That's merit," she added.
Ms Sule was named one of the two working presidents of the party this weekend by Mr Pawar, who had announced his intention to step down last month but desisted after dramatic requests from party supporters.
Mr Pawar's nephew Ajit Pawar, who has never made a secret of his ambition and shows a rebellious streak from time to time, said he was "not unhappy" with the decision.
Asked why his nephew was not given the top job, Mr Pawar had said that he already has his hands full.
Ajit Pawar is the Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra assembly.
Ajit Pawar is the Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra assembly. But his frequent fraternisation with the BJP -- especially the occasion when he took oath as Maharashtra deputy chief minister along with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in 2019 -- have made the party wary.
Talk of Supriya Sule taking over the mantle of her father has been on for a while.
Ms Sule will be in charge of NCP affairs in Maharashtra, Haryana, Punjab, and issues related to women, youth, students and Lok Sabha. When Sharad Pawar announced his decision to step down from the top pist last month, many leaders openly advocated that Ms Sule be allowed to lead the party.
"I cannot run away from nepotism. I'm born in a family that is a political party," Supriya Sule told reporters today and thanked the party for "for showing faith and giving this huge responsibility to me".