Ajit Pawar is not the same anymore, consultants control him now: NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil

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Nationalist Congress Party (SP) legislator Jayant Patil on Tuesday claimed that Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar is now largely influenced by his consultants, news agency ANI reported.

Addressing a press conference, Patil said, "Ajit Pawar is no longer the same. I'm not sure if his nature has changed, but he now relies on consultants for his public speeches. A significant amount of money is being spent on them, and they've been given the responsibility of advising him on what to say."

Patil further alleged that Ajit Pawar speaks according to the guidance provided by his consultants, adding, "He follows the instructions given to him."

He also remarked, "The branding work around him is on a large scale. What Ajit Pawar says is not entirely his own, but rather influenced to a great extent by his consultants."

This statement follows Ajit Pawar's recent remarks during one of his 'Jan Samman Yatra' events, where he spoke about how society dislikes family disputes.

Earlier, Ajit Pawar had denied reports of a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss seat-sharing arrangements for the upcoming Vidhan Sabha elections. Pawar clarified that their conversation in Mumbai revolved around agricultural concerns, particularly issues related to cotton, soybean, and onion crops.

Pawar said, "There was no such discussion about seat-sharing. I met Amit Shah in Mumbai for Ganpati Darshan and discussed farming-related matters, including ensuring fair prices for onion farmers. The reports in some newspapers are false and baseless."

He added that discussions on seat-sharing for all 288 constituencies would take place soon, and most details had already been settled, with only a few seats left to finalise.

Pawar also stated, "I have never said I would contest alone. Those making such claims should be questioned directly. My focus is on ensuring that government schemes benefit the people."

A day earlier, Patil, who is the state president of NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar), slammed the Maharashtra administration led by Eknath Shinde, and claimed that it lacks vision. He encouraged the public to vote the Shinde government out in the next assembly elections. Patil made these statements at an event hosted by the Pune Union of Working Journalists (PUWJ).

(With ANI inputs)