'When we don't get a proper candidate, we field an artist,' Ajit Pawar targets Amol Kolhe

Amol Kolhe and Ajit Pawar. File pic

Targeting of leaders within the two divisions of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)- the Ajit Pawar faction and Sharad Pawar faction, continues amidst the heated political atmosphere ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Taking a dig on his former colleague Dr Amol Kolhe, Ajit Pawar on Monday said that politics was never Kolhe's forte as the actor had offered his resignation after been elected.

"Political parties field celebrities in elections if they find opposing candidates undefeatable," Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said in Shirur, Pune district while addressing a farmer's meet. An actor by profession, Amol Kolhe, is a sitting MP from NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) from Shirur constituency.

Ajit Pawar said that politics was never Amol Kolhe's forte as he had offered to resign two years into his term. "I had brought in Kolhe from another party and gave him a ticket. NCP leader Dilip Walse Patil took the responsibility of ensuring his victory in the 2019 Lok Sabha election."

"We initially found Kolhe promising, but in two years itself he came to me and offered to resign, citing that his acting career was getting affected," the deputy chief minister said. People have questioned Kolhe's visibility in the constituency in the last four years, Pawar said, according to a PTI report. "If political parties find a particular opposing candidate undefeatable, they rope in celebrities for their mass appeal", he added.

Dr Amol Kolhe, a popular actor in Marathi film industry, particularly known for portraying Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was with Shiv Sena party for several years. Kolhe quitting Shiv Sena and joining NCP was a shock to Marathi audience.

After the split on NCP in July 2023, Amol Kolhe had said he was restless over the developments in the outfit in Maharashtra and wanted to quit, but calmed down after meeting Sharad Pawar. Incidenttly, Kolhe was present in the Raj Bhavan during swearing-in of deputy CM Ajit Pawar and eight other party MLAs, but later he issued a statement, saying his loyalties were with the senior Pawar.

Ajit Pawar on Monday added that, if political parties find a particular opposing candidate undefeatable, they rope in celebrities for their mass appeal and gave examples like actors Hema Malini, Sunny Deol, Govinda, Rajesh Khanna, Shatrughan Sinha and Amitabh Bachchan. The BJP fielded Hema Malini from Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, while Sunny Deol is the party's MP in Gurdaspur, Punjab.

"The point is whether celebrities are keen on doing development works in their areas. People find celebrities promising and vote for them. We (politicians) are also at fault for roping them in without knowing their capabilities," he said.

(With PTI report)