New Delhi:

Maharashtra could join the list of states that have a law against forced conversions and “love jihad” with the state government setting up a panel to study the aspects that can be covered under a future legislation. The seven-member panel will be headed by the director general of police, the top cop in the state, and include officials from the women and child welfare, minority affairs, law and judiciary, social justice, special assistance and Home departments. 

“Love jihad” is a term used by some to allege a conspiracy by Muslim men to lure Hindu women to marry them and then convert them to Islam.

In a government resolution issued on Friday, the BJP-led government in Maharashtra said the committee will suggest steps to deal with complaints of forced conversions and “love jihad”, and study the laws of other states to recommend legislation to prevent such acts. 

Thanking Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Maharashtra minister and senior BJP leader Mangal Prabhat Lodha said the state government is taking steps to curb incidents of “love jihad”. 

“Love jihad is a serious issue, and the state government is working towards preventing such incidents. The committee established to address cases of love jihad will work for the protection of women and preservation of cultural values,” he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. 

Mr Lodha also pointed out that when he was in charge of the Women and Child Development department under the previous government led by Eknath Shinde, he had set up the Interfaith Marriage Coordination Committee, which helped bring such incidents to light. 

“Shraddha Walkar was brutally murdered by Aftab Amin. Rupali Chandanshive was killed by Iqbal Sheikh. Poonam Kshirsagar was murdered by Nizam Khan. Yashashree Shinde from Uran was killed by Dawood Sheikh. Sonam Shukla from Malad lost her life at the hands of Shahjib Ansari,” he said. 

Lok Sabha MP and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) Working President Supriya Sule, however, said the government should focus on tackling economic issues rather than love and marriage, which are personal choices. 

“If the economy is impacted, the entire country will suffer,” she said. 

Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat are among the states that already have laws to deal with cases of “love jihad”.

Last year, the Uttar Pradesh Assembly had passed the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2024 with provisions for 20-year imprisonment or a life sentence if a person was converted under threat or a promise of marriage.  

Pune:

Reacting to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s reported statement about being “willing to lead the INDIA alliance,” Nationalist Congress Party (SCP) MP Supriya Sule said that they will be happy if the TMC chief took on more responsibility within the opposition alliance.

Speaking to ANI, Supriya Sule stated that the West Bengal Chief Minister is an integral part of the INDIA alliance.

“Mamata Banerjee is absolutely an integral part of the INDIA alliance. In a vibrant democracy, the opposition has a big role and responsibility, so if she wants to take more responsibility, we will be very happy,” Supriya Sule told ANI.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi also said that she has shown a successful model in West Bengal where she has kept BJP away from power.

“She has put forward her statement. Because she has shown a successful model in West Bengal where she has kept the BJP away from power and implemented good welfare schemes…her election experience and fighting spirit, accordingly she has shared her interest. Whenever the INDIA bloc meeting takes place, our senior leaders will together take a decision,” Priyanka Chaturvedi said.

Earlier, on December 3, in response to a query regarding TMC leaders suggesting that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee should be made the INDIA bloc leader days after Congress faced a crushing defeat in Maharashtra assembly polls, party MP Kirti Azad said that the ruling TMC supremo takes everyone along.

“Mamata Banerjee has a 100 percent record. Whenever Prime Minister Narendra Modi faced a humiliating defeat, it was only in West Bengal… Whenever he comes to insult Bengal and its honour, her vote share increases,” the TMC leader said.

He further said that Mamata Banerjee is known for her articulate views. “She is a very senior leader. She speaks clearly.”

He also said that Mamata Banerjee is a household name across the country.

“She (Mamata Banerjee) resides in every household in West Bengal, in every household in the country… Mamata Banerjee is someone who takes everyone together. She calls people only after making preparations and taking her time,” he said.

On November 26, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee suggested that one strong leader is needed to lead the INDIA bloc following the defeat of Congress in the Haryana and Maharashtra assembly elections. He had further said that the opposition alliance should be stronger to take on the BJP.

“The Congress has failed to achieve the desired result either in Haryana or in Maharashtra. We had tremendous hope from the Congress that they would do better. The INDIA alliance is there, but the expected result could not be achieved. And there is a great failure on the part of the Congress to achieve the result… Today it is necessary; if you want to fight against the BJP, the INDIA alliance should be stronger. And to make it stronger, one leader is required. Now who can be the leader? That’s the core question. Congress has done it. All experiments have been done, but they have failed…” Mamata Banerjee had said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) shared four audio clips on their official X (formerly Twitter) account to claim that it is a conversation recorded involving Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders Supriya Sule (NCP-SP), Nana Patole (Congress) and IPS officer Amitabh Gupta.

The conversations revolved around money and cryptocurrency (Bitcoin), and all of them were speaking with one Gaurav Mehta, who is allegedly an employee of an audit firm.

BJP shared these audio clips on 19 November, a day before Maharashtra was set to witness assembly elections and claims that these are ‘proof of polling fraud’.

(These posts can be seen here, here, here and here.)

But what’s the truth?: These audio clips are not authentic and have been created using AI tools.

How did we find out the truth?: We will examine each audio clip here:

AUDIO 1: IPS Amitabh Gupta with Audit firm employee Gaurav Mehta speaking to

• To start off with, Gupta pronounces the name ‘Gaurav’ and ‘Lakshmi’ incorrectly.

• We ran this audio clip on the AI-detection tool, TrueMedia, which concluded that there was substantial evidence of manipulation.

• AI-Generated Audio Detector returned with 100 percent confidence which concludes that the audio is fake.

  

  Here are the results by TrueMedia.

  

  Here are the results by TrueMedia

• Team WebQoof contacted ConTrails AI, a Bengaluru-based startup, that has developed its own AI technology for identifying fake audio and video content.

• Their report indicated that the audio file is AI generated or manipulated with high confidence.

  

  Here are the results by ConTrails.

• AUDIO 2: Congress leader Nana Patole in conversation with IPS Amitabh Gupta

• In this short audio clip, Patole is allegedly threatening Gupta to convert the bitcoin for cash.

• When we uploaded the video to TrueMedia’s AI-detection tool, it concluded that this audio is fake too. There was little evidence of manipulation.

  

  Here are the results by TrueMedia.

  

  Here are the results by TrueMedia

However, when we uploaded the clip as an audio file, the results found little evidence of manipulation.

• We also compared Patole’s voice in the audio recording to his interviews on YouTube channel, The Lallantop, shared on 15 November 2024. The voice in the audio clip did not match Patole’s original voice.

Another online AI-detection tool, Hive Moderation, also concluded that this audio has been cloned and is not real.

The Misinformation Combat Alliance’s (MCA) Deepfakes Analysis Unit (DAU) also ran the clip through third-party AI audio detection tools.

AUDIO 3: Supriya Sule in conversation with Mehta

• In this audio clip, Sule asks Mehta for cash in exchange for bitcoins.

• We compared Sule’s voice in the voice note to her interview on Samdish Bhatia’s video podcast, Unfiltered By Samdish in 2023.

• We noticed that her original voice does not match the one heard in the audio clips shared by BJP.

  

  Here are the results by TrueMedia.

  

  Here are the results by TrueMedia.

  

  Here are the results by Hive Moderation.

• ConTrails report also noted that the audio is manipulated.

  

  Here are the results by ConTrails.

• Moreover, Sule took to X to clarify that this audio clip shared by BJP linking her to a conversation regarding Bitcoins is fake.

• She has also lodged a cyber crime complaint.

Familiar tactics of spreading false information to manipulate the righteous voters are being resorted to, a night before the polling day. We have filed a criminal complaint to the Hon’ble ECI & the Cyber crime department against the fake allegations made of bitcoin… pic.twitter.com/g8Selv1DFk

— Supriya Sule (@supriya_sule) November 19, 2024

AUDIO 4: Second conversation between Gupta and Mehta

It noted that Audio Spoof detection AI model indicated AI generation with high confidence.

Conclusion: BJP shared AI-generated audio clips of Supriya Sule, Nana Patole and Amitabh Gupta and falsely linked it with “polling frauds”.

(This story was originally published by The Quint, and republished by NDTV as part of the Shakti Collective)

New Delhi:

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has summoned an employee of an auditing firm in the multi-crore bitcoin scam in which Maharashtra politicians Supriya Sule and Nana Patole were accused by a retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of having a hand.

The CBI summoned Gaurav Mehta, an employee of the audit firm Sarathi Associates, hours after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) searched his property in Chhattisgarh’s Raipur today.

The CBI has also filed a case against the two main accused, late Amit Bhardwaj and his brother Ajay Bhardwaj, for running an alleged Ponzi scheme using bitcoins worth up to Rs 6,600 crore in 2017.

The matter acquired a political dimension during the campaign for the Maharashtra assembly election after retired IPS officer Ravindranath Patil alleged Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Supriya Sule and Congress leader chief Nana Patole were involved in the cryptocurrency fraud dating back to 2018. These funds, Mr Patil alleged, were used in the election campaign.

In the ED case, it took up investigation into the money laundering angle after the police in Maharashtra and Delhi filed first information reports (FIRs) against Variable Tech Pvt Ltd, and individuals late Amit Bhardwaj, Ajay Bhardwaj, Vivek Bhardwaj, Simpy Bhardwaj and Mahender Bhardwaj – all members of a family.

The FIRs also named a number of multi-level marketing agents who were alleged to have collected a massive amount of money in the form of bitcoins (worth Rs 6,600 crore in 2017) from the public with the “false promise” of 10 per cent per month return as bitcoins.

During the Maharashtra election campaign, the BJP latched on to the retired officer’s remark and Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi accused Ms Sule and Mr Patole of using illegal bitcoin transactions to influence election results.

Ms Sule has trashed the allegations and challenged the BJP to a debate on the issue. “I deny all the allegations levelled against me by Sudhanshu Trivedi. All this is conjecture and innuendo, and I am ready for a debate with any representative of the BJP at a time and date of their choice, in a public forum,” she posted on X.

Mumbai:

The Maharashtra government will order a probe and truth will come out, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said today when asked about allegations of bitcoin fraud against his cousin and Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule. “An inquiry will be done and the truth will come in front of the people,” Mr Pawar, who is contesting the Assembly polls from Baramati, said this morning.

“Whatever audio clip is being shown, I just know that I have worked with both of them. One of them is my sister and the other is someone with whom I have worked a lot. The audio clip has their voices, I can figure out from their tone. An inquiry will be done and everything will be clear,” he added.

The remarks play out against the rivalry between the two camps of NCP — one led by veteran politician and party founder Sharad Pawar and Ms Sule and the other by Ajit Pawar. An Ajit Pawar-led mutiny split the NCP in 2023, following which the junior Pawar joined the BJP-Shiv Sena government in the state. This election is also a fight between two factions of NCP to prove who has the people’s support.

What Are The Allegations

Ravindranath Patil, a retired IPS officer, has accused Ms Sule and Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole of being involved in a fraud involving cryptocurrency dating back to 2018. These funds, he has alleged, have been used in the assembly election campaign.

The BJP latched on to the retired officer’s remark and Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi accused Ms Sule and Mr Patole of using illegal bitcoin transactions to influence election results.

“An accused dealer contacts a former police officer, who has been jailed previously, and tells him that he (the dealer) wants to conduct bitcoin transactions in cash. The officer declines the request. However, the dealer tries to convince him, claiming that a few ‘big people’ are involved, allegedly naming Nana Patole and Supriya Sule. When the officer expresses doubt, the dealer sends him the audio clips,” Mr Trivedi said in a press meet yesterday.

“According to the dealer’s claims, the audio clips mention the need for money for elections. We now have five questions for the Congress Party: first, are you involved in bitcoin transactions? second, are you in contact with individuals named Gaurav Gupta or Mehta? third, are the chats in question those of your leaders? fourth, is the audio in the clips authentic? fifth, who are the ‘big people’ referred to?” Mr Pawar added.

What Has Supriya Sule Said

Ms Sule has trashed the allegations and challenged the BJP to a debate on the issue. “I deny all the allegations levelled against me by Sudhanshu Trivedi. All this is conjecture and innuendo, and I am ready for a debate with any representative of the BJP at a time and date of their choice, in a public forum,” she posted on X.

She has said it is appalling that Mr Trivedi made “such baseless” allegations. “…yet not surprising as it’s a clear case of spreading false information, the night before elections. My lawyer will be issuing a criminal and civil defamation notice against Sudhanshu Trivedi for making outrightly false allegations with an intent to deceive the public at large,” Ms Sule has said. This morning, the NCP (SP) leader said she has sent a criminal defamation to Mr Trivedi. “He has asked me five questions. I am ready to respond wherever he wants, whenever he wants. These are all lies.”

Asked about Ajit Pawar’s charge that the voice on a viral audio clip is hers, Ms Sule replied with a smile, “He is Ajit Pawar, he can say anything. Rama Krishna Hari.”

The five-time MP has also filed a complaint with the Election Commission and the Cyber Cell in Pune.

Ms Sule’s father and NCP founder Sharad Pawar said, “…The person who made the allegations was in jail for several months. Taking that person along and making false allegations, only BJP can do this.”

Mr Patole, too, trashed the allegations and alleged a political conspiracy by the BJP. “We will file a complaint,” he said. 

Mumbai:

The Maharashtra Congress and ally Sharad Pawar’s faction of Nationalist Congress Party have been hit by corruption allegations on the eve of the crucial state elections. A retired police officer, Ravindranath Patil,  has accused Mr Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule  and state Congress chief Nana Patole of being involved in  a fraud case involving cryptocurrency that dates back to 2018. The funds, he alleged, have been used for campaigning in the assembly election. Supriya Sule has denied any wrongdoing and called it the “familiar tactics of spreading false information to manipulate the righteous voters” the night before election.

The BJP was quick to take note of the allegations and presented the media with audio clips it claimed were evidence of involvement of Nana Patole and Supriya Sule in what it dubbed the “bitcoin scam”.  

BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi claimed the development has “unmasked” the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi and demanded replies from the Congress and Ms Sule, who is a member of the Lok Sabha from Baramati.

“I am amused that elections have come down to such a level,” Supriya Sule told NDTV. 

“Sudhanshu Trivedi made five allegations and asked me five questions and they (the allegations) are all false. I am happy to sit with him in any public forum — place time and forum of his choice. It is all false and I have lodged a cybercrime complaint. I have nothing to do with any transfer of bitcoin… this shows the BJP’s desperation,” she added.

She underscored her response with a series of posts on X, formerly Twitter: 

Familiar tactics of spreading false information to manipulate the righteous voters are being resorted to, a night before the polling day. We have filed a criminal complaint to the Hon’ble ECI & the Cyber crime department against the fake allegations made of bitcoin… pic.twitter.com/g8Selv1DFk

— Supriya Sule (@supriya_sule) November 19, 2024

It’s appalling that such baseless allegations are made by Mr Sudhanshu Trivedi, yet not surprising as it’s a clear case of spreading false information, the night before elections. My lawyer will be issuing a criminal & civil defamation notice against Sudhanshu Trivedi for making…

— Supriya Sule (@supriya_sule) November 19, 2024

Mr Patil, who had taken voluntary retirement from the Indian Police Service, was roped in by the Pune police along with cyber expert Pankaj Ghode to investigate a couple of cryptocurrency cases registered in 2018. 

The police had alleged that Mr Patil, in course of the investigation, transferred some cryptocurrencies into  his account. Ghode had provided screenshots of the accounts to police by changing the numbers — that showed lesser amount in crypto wallets.

Mr Patil had told reporters that he was framed which he and his colleagues have investigated, reported news agency IANS. 

He claimed a key witness in the case, Gaurav Mehta-an employee of an audit firm-had told him about the 2018 cryptocurrency fraud investigation. 

Mehta has alleged that during the arrest of Amit Bhardwaj, a cryptocurrency trader, a hardware wallet containing Bitcoin was seized. But the wallet was replaced by another one — allegedly under the direction of Amitabh Gupta, the then-Pune Police Commissioner. 

Mehta has claimed that the real culprits were Gupta and his team and Patil and his colleagues were arrested unjustly, It was also he who had given him the information about Nana Patole and Supriya Sule, he said. 

Patil told IANS that Mehta sent several voice recordings on ‘Signal’ — social media app — including messages from Supriya Sule requesting cash in exchange for Bitcoin. In the recordings, Sule allegedly assured Mehta that there was no need to worry about the investigation, as they would handle it once they came to power.

Another recording reportedly featured Nana Patole, inquiring about the delay in the cash transaction. Though the audio messages are available with IANS, the agency does not vouch for the veracity of the clips.

Mumbai:

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar admitted that it was a mistake to field his wife Sunetra Pawar against his cousin Supriya Sule in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Ms Sule, daughter of NCP patriarch Sharad Pawar, had defeated Sunetra Pawar, representing the Ajit Pawar NCP faction, in the Baramati Lok Sabha seat by a margin of over 1.5 lakh votes.

“It was my mistake to field her against Supriya Sule, I have told you again and again. It is over now. On November 20 there is an election in Maharashtra and the voters will decide in whose hands Maharashtra should be given for five years. We are paying more attention to that,” Mr Pawar told NDTV. 

Mr Pawar said that his primary focus remains on campaigning in the constituencies allotted to the NCP under the Mahayuti (Grand Alliance). The 65-year-old said that despite occasional calls from alliance partners like the BJP and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena faction to join their campaigns, he is prioritising NCP seats. “Right now, with only a few days left, I am concentrating on our constituencies and holding public rallies,” he said.

Nepotism In Politics

Mr Pawar said that political families have played a role in all major parties, from Congress to the BJP, Shiv Sena, and even the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). He argued that ultimately, it is the voters who decide whether a candidate from a political family deserves their support. 

READ | On Abuse Of Power Charge, Eknath Shinde’s “Have We Arrested Anyone” Counter

“The BJP speaks against nepotism, but in this election, both the Mahavikas Aghadi and the Mahayuti alliances have numerous candidates from political families. This trend has been part of Indian politics for decades. After we gained independence in 1947, the families who initially entered politics continued to hold influence. The Congress party dominated government for many years, bringing successive generations into its ranks,” Mr Pawar said. 

“Now, across all parties – whether Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), BJP, or even the MNS – family members of political leaders are running for office.  However, it’s ultimately the voters who decide. Regardless of family ties, voters support candidates they believe will work for the people,” he added. 

Electoral Confidence

Mr Pawar also expressed strong confidence in his own candidacy, claiming that he would “100 per cent” secure his seat in the upcoming assembly elections. Referring to the recent Lok Sabha elections, where a “sympathy factor” for Sharad Pawar influenced outcomes in Baramati, he stated, “This time, I am fully confident of winning my seat. I am certain of a 100 per cent victory.”

The Maharashtra assembly elections will decide the fate of 288 seats, with the Mahayuti coalition, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP, facing off against the Mahavikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, which includes the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP factions. The 2019 assembly polls saw the BJP emerge as the largest party with 105 seats, while the Shiv Sena won 56 and the Congress 44.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections earlier this year, the MVA gained ground, winning 30 out of 48 seats, while the Mahayuti coalition managed to secure 17. 

Mumbai:

NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule has said political rapprochement with Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar is not possible till he is aligned with the BJP and said she will not be a chief minister post aspirant if the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is voted to power. In an exclusive interview with the news agency PTI, four-time Lok Sabha member Sule said people voted very assertively in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and there is clarity in the voters’ minds now.

She feels the opposition MVA, comprising the NCP (SP), Congress and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) will also do much better in the November 20 state assembly polls.

Out of the total 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state, the MVA won 30 seats, and an independent supporting the opposition alliance also emerged victorious.

Last year, Ms Sule’s cousin Ajit Pawar and several other NCP MLAs joined the Eknath Shinde-BJP government in the state, leading to a split in the party founded by her father Sharad Pawar.

In June 2022, Mr Shinde led a rebellion against the Shiv Sena leadership, which led to a split in that party.

Ms Sule said, “It is hard to say whether Pawars can reunite with Ajit Pawar politically. As long as he is working for the BJP it will not be easy. Our ideologies still remain a challenge politically.”

ALSO READ | “I Know Only One Ajit Dada Who Didn’t Like Visiting Delhi”: Supriya Sule

On speculations that she could be the MVA’s chief minister face, she said, ”I am not contesting elections and the NCP (SP) has made it clear that we are not in the race for CM’s post. We have clarity and we will go along with whoever our partners decide .”

Asked if the upcoming assembly polls will settle the fragmented polity in Maharashtra, the parliamentarian said the Lok Sabha election results have settled the confusion.

”There is already clarity in the state. There is no issue as such except that the legal fight continues because of the illegal way parties were broken, the illegal way they were given to people…the fight will continue,” she said.

Ms Sule denied there was any strategy to contest only 10 Lok Sabha seats.

”Our party is about service and not strategy. We don’t strategise…we are focused on serving the nation and doing good policy work ,” she said.

The NCP (SP) is contesting 86 out of 288 assembly seats (as per the seat-sharing arrangement of MVA allies) in the state elections and is confident of doing well, she said.

Ms Sule said there was nothing wrong in the delay in finalising the seat-sharing formula among MVA allies.

“Alliance talks in a vibrant democracy take time, we must be respectful towards allies. We made sure we didn’t bulldoze anyone,” she said.

Ms Sule said she doesn’t see the contest in Baramati assembly seat, Pawars’ family bastion where Ajit Pawar is pitted against his nephew Yugendra Pawar, as anything more than an ideological fight.

ALSO READ | “Not Acceptable To Society”: Ajit Pawar On Why Leaving Family Was A Mistake

”We are aligned with the Congress and they with the BJP. We are fighting the BJP, so we fight their allies,” she said.

Expressing gratitude to voters for giving her the fourth Lok Sabha term this year, Ms Sule said she hoped the assembly polls will be fair in Baramati and claimed people were being threatened by the ruling dispensation.

“People are brave and I will stand by them,” she maintained.

On Ajit Pawar asking Baramati voters to make him happy by electing him, Ms Sule said for her contesting and winning elections is not for self-happiness.

”This is not happiness, this is service for me. My politics is about serving the nation and doing good and serious policy work,” she asserted.

”If I would ask for votes, it would not be for my happiness, it would be for people’s happiness. I want my every stakeholder to be happy. If they are happy, I will be happy,” she said.

On emotions at play in Baramati during the general elections and now in the assembly polls, Ms Sule said leaders are not allowed to show emotions in public.

”If a leader crumbles, how will the family members survive. Being a leader is a lonely job. We have to be empathetic and compassionate in our behaviour but not crumble emotionally,” she said.

On NCP’s division after she was made the party working president, Ms Sule said Ajit Pawar held a powerful position in decision-making, and she was ready to debate with anyone, including him, on how can she be blamed for the split in the party.

‘I believe in transparency,” she said.

Ms Sule said the MVA will get a clear mandate to provide an honest, stable and progressive government to end unemployment, corruption and inflation.

She also said that both (ruling and opposition) alliances decided not to project a CM face. Whether or not it is needed depends on time-to- time, situation-to-situation, she added.

Ms Sule also said the NCP (SP) was not a regional party.

”We were a national party, we were downgraded and our party was broken illegally and the fight continues in the Supreme Court. What was done to Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray was completely unfair,” she said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Pune:

NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule has taken a jibe at her cousin and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar over his frequent visits to Delhi, saying she remembers her brother who did not like to go to the national capital.

NCP head Ajit Pawar and his party leader Praful Patel visited New Delhi on Tuesday, ahead of the state assembly polls scheduled on November 20.

Asked about it, Ms Sule, the daughter of NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, said, “I remember only one Ajit dada who never liked to go to Delhi.” “I do not know why he went to Delhi because I have not been in touch with him for months now and I would not be able to give an answer why he visited Delhi,” the Lok Sabha member told reporters in Baramati on Tuesday.

Ajit Pawar on Tuesday said the ruling Mahayuti alliance, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, has almost finalised its seat-sharing deal for the state assembly elections.

On his absence at the talks between leaders of BJP and Shiv Sena in Mumbai on Monday, he said, “There is no reason for me to be present at the meeting when the decision on some seats is to be taken between the BJP and Shiv Sena.” There has been no confirmation so far from any of the ruling alliance leaders on media reports that the BJP may contest 156 of the 288 seats, while Shiv Sena may fight on 78 seats and the NCP may get 54 seats to contest.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has made another admission of his “mistake” in splitting the party and family — this time to stop a party leader’s daughter from crossing over to his uncle’s camp and contesting against her father.

State minister Dharmarao Baba Atram’s daughter Bhagyashree is apparently ready to join the Sharad Pawar faction and contest from Aheri against Atram.

At a public gathering in Gadchiroli today, Ajit Pawar said, “I want to tell you that even now, do not make this mistake. Stay with your father. No one can love his daughter as much as a father does. By doing this, you will create a rift in your own house”.

That course of action, he said, “is not right” — because “this is not acceptable to the society”.

“We have also gained experience in this context, and I have now understood my mistake and I accept it,” he added.

Pawar Junior, who split his uncle Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party and joined hands with the  BJP and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena last year, has made multiple comments about his “mistake” since the Lok Sabha election.

His party had got a drubbing — with the voters staunchly backing Sharad Pawar.

Not only did his wife Sunetra Pawar lost the contest with his cousin Supriya Sule from Baramati, his faction of the party managed to score only one seat of the four he contested.

Last month, Mr Pawar had had conceded that it was a mistake to field his wife against his sister.

One should not allow politics to enter home, Mr Pawar had told a Marathi news channel.

“I love all my sisters. One shouldn’t allow politics to enter homes. I made a mistake in fielding Sunetra against my sister. This shouldn’t have happened. But the parliamentary board (of NCP) made a decision. Now I feel it was wrong,” Ajit Pawar had said, raising speculation ofa possible rapprochement.