Amid speculation that he had deliberately skipped attending the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations at Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s official residence, Deputy Chief Minister and rebel Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar on Monday categorically denied there was any friction between him and Mr. Shinde.
Speaking in Baramati, Mr. Pawar also refused to comment on the possibility of his wife Sunetra contesting from the Baramati Lok Sabha segment — currently held by his cousin Supriya Sule — in the 2024 general election.
Stating that he was busy in Ganesha festivities in Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and other parts of Mumbai, Mr. Pawar said: “I must have visited 60 Ganesh pandals in Pimpri-Chinchwad and 15 in Pune city. I also visited Lalbaugcha Raja and Siddhivinayak in Mumbai. Hence, I could not attend the Ganpati celebrations at ‘Varsha’ [Chief Minister’s official residence in Mumbai]. The media has the habit of unnecessarily blowing up news.”
