Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) MP Supriya Sule firmly refuted claims that her father and party founder, Sharad Pawar, was aware that Ajit Pawar was planning to align with the BJP in 2019. In an exclusive interaction with The Free Press Journal, Sule declared that neither Sharad Pawar nor any of the senior party members had prior knowledge of the move and challenged anyone to publicly debate her on the issue.
Sule Denies Sharad Pawar's Involvement In 2019 Govt Formation
Recalling the political drama of November 2019, when Ajit Pawar briefly formed a government with Devendra Fadnavis in a surprise early morning swearing-in, Sule strongly denied Fadnavis’ remarks that Sharad Pawar had sanctioned the alliance. “The truth is that Pawar Saheb had no clue. If anyone says otherwise, I challenge them to come to the Free Press Journal office and debate me. We were not kept in the loop. We had no idea,” she said.
On the downfall of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in 2022, which Fadnavis also played a key role in orchestrating by splitting the Shiv Sena and backing Eknath Shinde, Sule accused the BJP of misusing central investigative agencies. “He (Fadnavis) used agencies to bring down the government. I would never do that. For me, morality in politics is more important than power,” she added, stressing her belief in political ethics over tactical victories.
Never Thought Split Would Take Place: Sharad Pawar
Recently, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar had earlier expressed shock over the party split. Speaking at the NCP’s 26th foundation day on June 10, he said, “We never thought a split would take place, but it happened.” He praised party workers who remained loyal to the original ideology and helped the faction survive turbulent times.
“Some people went with other ideologies... I won’t dwell on that today,” he said, suggesting that those who left the party had strayed from its founding principles.
The NCP formally split in July 2023 when Ajit Pawar joined the BJP-Shiv Sena coalition government. The Election Commission later handed over the party name and its iconic clock symbol to Ajit Pawar’s faction. Sharad Pawar’s faction was rebranded as NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar).
