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Ajit Pawar
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Monday defended his controversial "vote for funds" remark, asserting that despite decades of allegations, he owes "no debt to anyone". Addressing a public rally at Jintur in Parbhani district ahead of the December 2 local body polls, the NCP leader acknowledged the intense media scrutiny over his remarks, noting that any issue is quickly linked to him. He stressed his respect for the Model Code of Conduct, and admitted that mistakes can occur in public work. During campaigning on Friday for elections to the Malegaon Nagar Panchayat in Baramati tehsil of Pune district, Pawar said he will ensure there is no shortage of funds for the town if they elect his party's candidates, but if they reject them, he will also "reject". The Opposition had criticised Pawar and demanded an apology from him. Addressing the controversy, the deputy CM on Monday said, "The media is watching me and monitoring my words about the funds. If anything happens, t
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Saturday that action in the Pune land deal case, involving a company linked to Deputy CM Ajit Pawar's son Parth Pawar, is being taken as per the law and there is no question of saving anybody. "FIRs have been filed against signatories and vendors, and those found guilty in the probe will be booked. Action is being taken as per the law," Fadnavis told reporters in Gadchiroli. The controversy pertains to the alleged illegal sale of 40 acres of government land in Pune's Mundhwa area, reportedly worth around Rs 1,800 crore, which Opposition leaders claim was purchased by a company linked to Parth Pawar for Rs 300 crore with a stamp duty waiver. On Friday evening, Ajit Pawar informed about the cancellation of the deal and stated that Parth was unaware that the land belonged to the government. The 7 per cent stamp duty for the Rs 300 crore deal comes to Rs 21 crore. After Ajit Pawar's announcement, it has emerged that Amadea Enterpris
After Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's announcement that the sale deed executed by his son Parth Pawar's firm for a prime land in Pune has been cancelled, it has come to light that Amadea Enterprises LLP will now have to pay double stamp duty, which comes to Rs 42 crore, for cancellation. The Department of Registration and Stamps has informed Digvijay Amarsinh Patil, the cousin of Parth Pawar and a partner in Amadea Enterprises LLP, that the firm must pay the earlier 7 per cent stamp duty (5 per cent under the Maharashtra Stamp Act, 1 percent Local Body Tax and 1 percent Metro Cess), as it had sought an exemption by claiming a data centre was proposed on the land. It must also pay an additional 7 per cent stamp duty to execute the cancellation deed, officials from the department said. According to the department, the firm had claimed a stamp duty exemption at the time of the sale deed by stating that a data centre would be set up on the land. But the cancellation deed
The Maharashtra government on Monday released a fund of Rs 150 crore to expedite work on the ambitious 'Ahilyanagar-Beed-Parli Vaijnath' broad-gauge railway line project, taking the total allocation so far to Rs 2,091 crore. "This is a special gesture ahead of the Marathwada Liberation Day on September 17," said Deputy Chief Minister and Beed district guardian minister Ajit Pawar. The total cost of the project, viewed as a game changer for Beed district's development, is Rs 4,085 crore, of which 50 per cent is the state's share. Train services on the route will be inaugurated on September 17, fulfilling a long-pending demand of lakhs of residents. The 261-km railway line is estimated to cost Rs 4,805 crore, with the state's share pegged at Rs 2,402 crore. The fresh Rs 150 crore will go to the railways as the government's share for the 2025-26 fiscal. After assuming the charge as Beed guardian minister, Pawar has prioritised infrastructure projects, including airport, road and rail
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday downplayed the meeting between MNS president Raj Thackeray and CM Devendra Fadnavis, saying that maintaining communication is a tradition in the state. Talking to reporters in Wardha, Pawar said, Many leaders meet one another as well as with the chief minister, irrespective of whether they are in power or not. Maintaining communication with each other is the tradition of the state. There is no need to give a political angle to this meeting. Earlier, Raj Thackeray met Fadnavis at the latter's official bungalow Varsha' in south Mumbai, prompting speculation in the state's political circles. The meeting came after the first joint contest by the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in the BEST Employees' Co-operative Credit Society elections ended in a humiliating defeat on Wednesday. The two parties' joint panel failed to win any of the 21 seats in the polls. Fadnavis had on .
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Tuesday expressed his displeasure over some civic bodies ordering the closure of slaughterhouses and shops selling meat on August 15, saying it was wrong to impose such a ban. Such types of restrictions are generally imposed considering faith-related sensitivities on occasions like Ashadhi Ekadashi, Mahashivratri, Mahavir Jayanti etc, he said, adding that people eat vegetarian and non-vegetarian food in Maharashtra. "It is wrong to impose such a ban. In major cities, people of different castes and religions reside. If it is an emotional issue, then people accept it (ban) for a day. But if you clamp such orders on Maharashtra Day, Independence Day, and Republic Day, then it is difficult," Pawar told reporters. Earlier in the day, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar municipal corporation announced the closure of slaughterhouses, outlets, and shops selling meat within city limits on two days - August 15 and 20 - in view of festivals. The order sta
The Uddhav Thackeray-led faction on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court for an urgent hearing on its plea over the contentious Shiv Sena symbol in wake of the upcoming local body elections in Maharashtra. The matter was mentioned before a bench of Justices M M Sundresh and K Vinod Chandran which agreed to list it on July 14. The counsel for the Shiv Sena (UBT) informed the bench that local body polls were likely to be notified soon in the state. The counsel appearing for the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction said a similar request was made on May 7 before a bench headed by Justice Surya Kant, also hearing the symbol row matter, and it was rejected. The Shiv Sena (UBT) counsel argued that Justice Kant-led bench had said the matter could be mentioned during the top court's partial court working days. He argued the matter raised the "question of peoples' choice". He said the plea seeks an interim arrangement similar to the one directed by the apex court in the Nationalist Congress P
The Maharashtra government tabled supplementary demands of Rs 57,509.71 crore in the state legislative assembly on Monday to allocate funds for various schemes and projects. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who is also the state finance and planning minister, presented these demands on the first day of the three-week monsoon session. Supplementary demands are additional funds sought by the government over budgetary allocations. The government has primarily allocated these funds for infrastructure projects such as roads, metro rail, and irrigation schemes, as well as for planning and execution of the upcoming Simhastha Kumbh Mela. The demands include Rs 1,600 crore for the Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Health Scheme, Rs 1,500 crore for the Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar (Destitute) Grant Scheme, scholarships for students from the backward classes, and overall development of socially and economically weaker sections. The largest allocation Rs 11,042.76 crore has been earmarked for grants ...
More than four decades after he last contested cooperative sugar mill polls, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar is back in the fray as one of 90 candidates for Malegaon Cooperative Sugar Mill elections in Pune's Baramati. His party functionaries said Pawar had last contested sugar mill polls in 1984, going on to serve on the board of directors of Chhatrapati Cooperative Sugar Mill. Elections to the 21-member board of directors of Malegaon Cooperative Sugar Mill, currently led by the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, will be held on June 22, with results to be announced the following day, they added. Ajit Pawar-led Nilkantheshwar Panel is currently in power at Malegaon Cooperative Sugar Mill. It had defeated Chandrarao Tawre's Sahakar Bachav panel in 2019. Tawre, a known name in the co-operative sector, was once considered close to Sharad Pawar but later parted ways. Besides Nilkantheshwar Panel and Sahakar Bachav panel, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) too has fielded 'Baliraja Sahakar ..
NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday said they never thought the Nationalist Congress Party, co-founded by him 26 years ago, would suffer a split and appreciated workers of his outfit for taking it ahead despite challenges. Pawar was speaking here at an event marking the 26th foundation day of the NCP, which split in 2023. "...the party faced some challenges, but you, without getting discouraged, continue to take the party ahead. A split took place in the party. We never thought that a split would take place in the party but it happened," he said. "Some people went with other ideologies and this split widened. I do not want to talk about it today. But those who remained loyal to the party, it was because of our party's ideology," Pawar said. A different picture will prevail in the coming elections, he added. The NCP split in July 2023 after Sharad Pawar's nephew Ajit Pawar joined the then Shiv Sena-BJP coalition government. The party name and its clock symbol was given to the A
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar visited Baramati tehsil in Pune district on Monday to take stock of the rains, which he said were "unprecedented" for May. Heavy rains lashed Baramati, Indapur and Daunda tehsils on Sunday, prompting the National Disaster Response Force to deploy two specialised teams on the urgent request of the district collector. The May rain recorded in the three tehsils are unprecedented in the last 50 years, Pawar said while carrying out an inspection of affected areas with Collector Jitendra Dudi. "The average rainfall of these three tehsils was around 14 inches for the entire monsoon season but yesterday, in Shetfalgadhe in Indapur tehsil, 13 inches rainfall was recorded in a few hours. The havoc was due to such heavy rains and then a breach at Nira canal near Nimtek in Baramati tehsil. The IMD has issued a red alert for this region on May 28," said Pawar. During the inspection, the team is assessing damage to crops and houses, the NCP leader ...
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday said there is a strong sentiment across the country to avenge the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 persons lost their lives. Pawar said the Indian Army will take decisive action against persons responsible for Tuesday's attack in Jammu and Kashmir, in which six tourists from Maharashtra were killed. Speaking at an event organised by the public health department here, the deputy chief minister said, "We have paid tributes to those who lost their lives in the attack, including six people from Maharashtra. There is a feeling across the country that the attack should be avenged. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken some key decisions such as suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, and all ties have been snapped with them (Pakistan)." Innocent tourists were killed in such a "cowardly attack", he said, adding that everybody has condemned the act and it should not recur. Pawar said, "I have no doubt that our Indian Army will elimin
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has criticised political parties for opposing the move to make Hindi a mandatory third language for students in classes 1 to 5 in Marathi and English-medium schools across the state. He said those opposing the decision are raking up unnecessary disputes for lack of real issues. Marathi is our mother tongue and will always have first preference in the state, said Pawar on the sidelines of the inauguration of a national memorial dedicated to the Chapekar Brothers in Pimpri Chinchwad on Thursday. Hitting out at critics, Pawar said, Some people are creating disputes over the Hindi language only because they have nothing else to do. English is widely used across the country, and similarly, Hindi is spoken in many states. While there is a dispute over whether Hindi is the Rashtra Bhasha', I don't want to get into that. The Maharashtra government has decided that Hindi as a third language would be mandatory for students in classes 1 to 5 in Marathi and ...
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has said the government's flagship Ladki Bahin scheme to provide financial assistance to women will continue and that there is no question of scrapping it. Under the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, which is believed to have played a key role in the victory of the ruling Mahayuti (comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's NCP) in the state polls last year, women are provided Rs 1,500 every month. Talking to reporters on Tuesday night, Pawar, who is also the state's finance minister, said, "The budgetary allocation for the implementation of the scheme has been made and there is no question of scrapping it." Earlier, state Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare on Tuesday said no change has been made in the amount of assistance paid under the scheme, but some 7.74 lakh women already getting Rs 1,000 under another scheme are being paid the difference of Rs 500. She was responding to media reports claiming the aid unde
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday termed Tahawwur Hussain Rana's extradition a major breakthrough and said it would help unravel the crucial details of the conspiracy behind the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. The 64-year-old Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin, a key accused in the case, landed in Delhi in a special plane from Los Angeles Thursday evening. A special court subsequently remanded him in the custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for 18 days. Rana is accused of conspiring with David Coleman Headley alias Daood Gilani, and terrorist organisations Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islami (HUJI) along with other Pakistan-based co-conspirators, to carry out the three-day terror siege that killed 166 people. Speaking to reporters in Pune, Pawar recalled being present in Mumbai during the 2008 attacks along with the then chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and home minister R R Patil. After the operation, we visited all the attack sites.