Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar has indicated his nephew, Ajit Pawar, now deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, has the potential to take charge of state affairs and that his MP-daughter, Supriya Sule, was keen to pursue her interests in national politics.
Pawar, 71, the Union agriculture minister, had already publicly said he would not contest the 2014 general elections. In an interview with a Marathi television news channel, Pawar has said dynasty may matter up to a point but beyond that it was popular support that matters.
Ajit Pawar is the NCP leader in the state Assembly and played a key role in the party’s performance in the elections to 27 zila parishads and 10 municipal corporations. Sule entered electoral politics by winning a Rajya Sabha poll in 2006 and the Lok Sabha in the 2009 elections, from Baramati, her father’s constituency for years.
In the TV interview, Pawar spoke of Ajit's strengths and what he had to do to broadbase his leadership. “Ajit is a perfectionist and works quite hard for the solution to a problem. Several institutions headed by him or run under his guidance in the fields of cooperation, agriculture, water and education are role models," said Pawar. Sule has been actively associated with issues comprising the female child, malnutrition, education, youth welfare, human resource development and growth of self-help groups in the state.
Pawar also said Ajit would have to read more, meet people from all sections and use mild language to drive home his point.
A noteworthy point, as Ajit has been making the news for harsh language and an attitude considered rude rather often. He has not spared party seniors, bureaucrats and even journalists.
Having never hidden his ambition to become state chief minister, he’d openly expressed displeasure over his party's decision to leave the post to the Congress after the 2004 assembly elections, despite winning more seats. He has recently been extensively touring the state to gear up the party to emerge as the single largest one in the 2014 polls.