Ajit Pawar is an Indian politician from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). He is an MLA from Maharashtra and the nephew of Sharad Pawar.
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Wiki/Biography
Ajit Pawar was born on Wednesday, 22 July 1959 (age 64 years; as of 2023) in Deolali Pravara, Bombay State, India. His zodiac sign is Cancer. His full name is Ajit Anantrao Pawar. He did his schooling at the Maharashtra Education Society High School in Baramati, Maharashtra. He holds a Secondary School Certificate (SSC) from the Maharashtra State Board, and he is also a college dropout. He moved to Mumbai to pursue graduation, but his father passed away while he was in college, so he had to quit his studies and move back home to take care of his family.
An old photo of Ajit Pawar
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 9″
Eye Colour: Black
Hair Colour: Black
Family, Caste & Wife
Ajit Pawar is of Maratha Ethnicity and belongs to the Other Backwards Caste (OBC) (Note: According to the Gazette of India, those who have surnames like ‘Powar’ or ‘Pawar’ but don’t belong to this community, should not be included in the aforementioned community). His father, Anantrao Pawar worked for the prominent filmmaker, V. Shantaram in the “Rajkamal Studios” in Bombay. His mother’s name is not known. His grandparents’ name is Govind Pawar and Sharda Pawar. His elder brother, Shriniwas is a businessman. His sister, Vijaya Patil (Media Person) passed away on 22 January 2017.
Ajit Pawar’s sister Vijaya Patil
Ajit Pawar is married to Sunetra Pawar, daughter of the former Minister of Maharashtra, Padamsinh Bajirao Patil. They have two sons, Jay Pawar and Parth Pawar. While Jay is a businessman, Parth is a politician who contested the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections from the Maval Constituency of Maharashtra, but he lost by a huge margin of 2,15,193 votes.
Ajit Pawar with his wife Sunetra Pawar, and his sons Jay Pawar (top left) and Parth Pawar (top right)
Ajit Pawar family tree
Career
In 1982, Ajit Pawar came into active politics after being elected to the board of a cooperative sugar factory in Pune. In 1991, he was elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time from the Baramati Constituency of Maharashtra. However, when Sharad Pawar was appointed as the Defence Minister in the PV Narasimha Rao government, he wasn’t a Member of Parliament at that time, and within a period of six months, he had to become a Member of Parliament, so, Ajit vacated his seat for Sharad Pawar.
Ajit Pawar being greeted by NCP workers
In the same year, Ajit contested and won the Maharashtra Assembly Elections from the Baramati seat. He retained his seat and was re-elected from the same constituency in 1995, 1999, 2004, 2009, 2014, and 2019. Over the years, he has handled many portfolios such as agriculture, finance, irrigation, power, and the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
Ajit Pawar with Prithviraj Chavan after being sworn-in as the Deputy CM of Maharashtra in 2012
Ajit is popularly known as Dada (elder brother) among his close ones and his followers. He is very popular among the NCP’s Youth Wing, and they often chant the slogan “Ekach Dada Ajit Dada” to address him. He won the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly Elections from the Baramati Assembly seat by 1,66,000 votes; which was the highest in the state. However, on 23 November 2019, Ajit supported the BJP without the consent of Sharad Pawar, and he took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra with Devendra Fadnavis as the CM. However, on 26 November 2019, he resigned as the Deputy CM. Reportedly, the support letter of the 54 MLA’s he claimed was just an attendance sheet of 54 NCP legislators, which he had handed to the Maharashtra Governor, Bhagat Singh Koshiyari.
Ajit Pawar with Devendra Fadnavis (left) and Bhagat Singh Koshiyari after taking oath as the Deputy CM in 2019
On 30 December 2019, after Maha Vikas Aghadi came into power, he was sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra for the fourth time.
Ajit Pawar being sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra for the fourth time
In 2022, he became the Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra legislative assembly. On 2 July 2023, he joined the Shiv Sena-BJP coalition government and was sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister for the fifth time. On 14 July 2023, he was given Finance and Planning department in Maharashtra cabinet expansion.
Controversies
- In August 2002, when he was the Minister of Water Resources, he allegedly leased 141.15 ha (348.8 acres) of land from the Maharashtra Krishna Valley Development Corporation (MKVDC) to Lavasa, which was a dream project of Sharad Pawar. Reportedly, the land deal which took place between MKVDC and Lavasa was executed at rates that were very less than the market rate.
- In September 2012, he was named in a scam amounting to 70,000 crores INR. Vijay Pandhaare, a former Maharashtra bureaucrat made these allegations against Ajit. Following these allegations, Ajit had to resign as the Deputy CM of Maharashtra. However, he was reinstated after getting a clean chit.
- In April 2013, while speaking on power cuts and load-shedding, he said-
I have noticed that more children are being born, now that the lights are going off in the night. There is no other work left then.”
- On 16 April 2014, Ajit was campaigning for his cousin, Supriya Sule for the 2014 General Elections. They were in the Masalwadi Village in Baramati, and he threatened the farmers that if they did not vote for Sule, he would have them punished by cutting off the water supply to their village.
- On 2 November 2021, Pawar’s assets worth Rs. 1,000 crore, which include a sugar factory, a residential property in South Delhi, an office in Mumbai’s upmarket area (believed to be Nirmal Tower in Nariman Point), a resort in Goa, and land in different parts of the State, were provisionally attached by the Income Tax Department. Earlier, in October 2021, the departed had conducted multiple raids on businesses and properties belonging to Mr. Pawar’s relatives and aides.
Address
- Pawar Bungalow, Katewadi, Baramati, Pune -413102
Car/Vehicle Collection
Assets/Properties
Source:
- Bank Deposits: 65.66 lacs INR
- Bonds & Debentures: 9.66 lacs INR
- Jewellery: 391 gm Gold & other jewellery worth 12.34 lacs INR and 30 kg silver worth 11.85 lacs INR
- Agricultural Land: worth 2.78 crores INR in Baramati
- Non-Agricultural Land: worth 47.95 lacs INR in Baramati
- Residential Building: Bungalow worth 16.42 crores INR in Shivajinagar, Pune
Salary & Net Worth
- Salary: 2.13 lacs INR per month (as an MLA)
- Net Worth: 20.12 crores INR (as in 2019)
Facts/Trivia
- Ajit has no interest in art, culture, and movies. However, he has a liking for expensive watches and pens.
- While Ajit was in school, his uncle, Sharad Pawar had become a renowned politician of Maharashtra. Sharad Pawar was with the Indian National Congress (INC) at that time.
Ajit Pawar with Sharad Pawar
- He is a very private person, and he rarely attends any parties or functions. He never brings his wife or his sons to his political rallies or campaigns. However, Ajit Pawar is known for his punctuality and decisiveness.
- He is a staunch Marathi speaker, and he is not comfortable with speaking other languages.
- Ajit Pawar is considered to be a mix of ambition, arrogance, and aggression.
Ajit Pawar addressing a rally
- Reportedly, he wanted to split with the NCP after his son, Parth, lost in the 2019 General Elections. It was the first time that someone from the Pawar family had lost an election.
Ajit Pawar with his son Parth Pawar
- According to a source, Ajit Pawar’s power-hungry nature and his controversial statements made Sharad Pawar have doubts over Ajit’s leadership qualities and his ability to take on bigger roles in the party. This was substantiated when Sharad started focusing and bringing his daughter, Supriya Sule into the limelight.
Ajit Pawar with Supriya Sule
Categories: Sports
Source: dienchau2.edu.vn
