Mess with anyone but me, says Sharad Pawar; asks voters to defeat Ajit

NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar on Sunday warned his detractors that they should mess with anyone but him and urged voters to not just defeat those who rebelled under Ajit Pawar but "defeat them big".

Addressing a rally in Madha in Solapur district, Pawar recounted an episode of defection that led to his losing the post of leader of opposition in the assembly almost four decades ago and his resolve that led to the defeat of all of those who had backstabbed him.  "In the polls of 1980, 58 people won polls from our party and I became leader of opposition. I had gone abroad and when I came back I realised Chief Minister AR Antulay saheb had done some miracle and 52 of the 58 MLAs had switched sides. I lost the post of LoP," he said.  "I did nothing (at the time). I just started reaching out to people across the state and worked hard for three years. In the next elections, I fielded young candidates against all 52 MLAs who had left me. I am proud of the people of Maharashtra that all 52 who left me were defeated," he told the gathering.  The 83-year-old stalwart emphasised his status as an undefeated politician since he became an MLA in 1967 at the age of 27 by asserting that "I have my own experiences".  "The people who betrayed should be shown their place. Don't just defeat them, defeat them big," he said. When the NCP (SP) chief said that a message should be sent across that one can mess with anyone but and took a pause, the crowd roared back chanting his name.  The Nationalist Congress Party split in July last year after Ajit Pawar and eight MLAs joined the Shinde government. Following a decision by the Election Commission, he got the party name and 'clock' symbol, while the faction head by the octogenarian patriarch was named NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) with 'man blowing tutari' as its symbol.  The NCP (SP) has fielded Yugendra Pawar, Sharad Pawar's grandnephew, to take on Ajit Pawar in Baramati. The Deputy CM has been MLA from Baramati since 1991.  However, in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Ajit Pawar fielded his wife Sunetra Pawar from Baramati against sitting MP Supriya Sule, the daughter of Sharad Pawar. Sule defeated Sunetra Pawar comfortably and since then Ajit Pawar has often said fielding his wife was a mistake.