Mumbai: Up until 2019, Jay, the younger son of Ajit Pawar, kept his distance from politics, running the family businesses in Dubai. Now, he may soon succeed his father as the representative of the Baramati constituency, a Pawar family bastion, in the Maharashtra legislative assembly.
The Deputy Chief Minister, who has held the Baramati assembly seat since 1991, has hinted that he is not keen on contesting from the constituency himself in the upcoming polls, and may field son Jay instead.
Meanwhile, Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is likely to field Yugendra Pawar, son of Ajit’s younger brother Shrinivas, from Baramati. If Jay, who has not been actively involved in electoral politics, decides to contest, it could lead to yet another Pawar versus Pawar battle. In the Lok Sabha elections this year, Supriya Sule and Sunetra Pawar, Ajit’s wife, were up against each other in Baramati. Sule had defeated Sunetra by 1.5 lakh votes.
Ajit told mediapersons Thursday, “We live in a democracy and will give him (Jay) a chance. I am not interested anymore, having already contested seven-eight times. If other local workers are keen, then the parliamentary board of the party will decide the contestant from Baramati.”
Political analyst Prakash Bal said that different strategies could be at play behind the move.
“If Ajit launches Jay Pawar from Baramati, and if Jay loses, it will still be better than Ajit losing himself. Ajit may have received some inputs that his re-election from Baramati may be tough,” Bal told ThePrint.
“This, coupled with his previous statement that he made the mistake of fielding his wife Sunetra against Sule, could be an attempt to gain the sympathy of the voters of Baramati,” he added.
However, another political commentator Pratap Asbe told ThePrint that Ajit is making contradictory statements, which are difficult to read at the moment.
“Why would he make it a Pawar vs Pawar fight again? Is it to confuse the people? Not very sure,” Asbe said.
‘Well educated, soft spoken’ Jay Pawar
Jay, 28, is the younger son of Ajit. He was involved in taking care of the family’s businesses in Dubai, until the split in NCP in 2023, when he began participating actively in the party’s matters under the leadership of his father.
NCP functionaries from Baramati told ThePrint that for the past two to three years, Jay has been taking care of the party’s affairs in the constituency and has significantly increased his public engagement. In the run-up to this year’s Lok Sabha polls, he even campaigned for his mother Sunetra.
“He is well-educated and well-mannered,” said Vidyadhar Kate, a party functionary and close aide of Ajit in Baramati.
“He is just like (Ajit) dada. Because dada has more responsibilities now, his public engagement has gone down, but this boy (Jay) is very much involved in grassroot matters,” Kate added.
Kate gave an example to make his point. At a local deity’s temple in his village, which sees massive footfall during a certain annual fair, Jay found out that some devotees were experiencing discomfort due to the existing arrangements.
“Jay dada arranged for big lights and a water tanker. Just like Ajit Pawar, Jay takes quick decisions,” he remarked.
Another functionary from Ajit’s NCP in Baramati told ThePrint that Jay’s appeal among the youth is growing.
“He organises competitions… wrestling, kabaddi, etc. at the village level. He had even conducted a jobs fair for the youth of Baramati,” the functionary said.
Kate said that Jay was not always interested in politics. “He has never said that he should get the ticket or contest any election. But if it falls on his shoulders, I am sure he will be able to fulfil the responsibilities,” Kate said.
Functionaries said that Jay holds a public darbar on Thursdays, where he meets with people from in and around Baramati, and tries to solve their issues. At times, he also visits villages to meet people on Thursdays.
Jay’s elder brother Parth had contested the Lok Sabha elections from Maval in 2019, but was defeated by the sitting MP, Shrirang Barne of Shiv Sena, who is now with the Eknath Shinde faction.
Another functionary from Baramati said that though both sons are capable, Jay is more precise, when it comes to handling difficult situations. “He comes from a business background. His style is corporate as well. But he is also very soft spoken and well-mannered. Parth Pawar is more emotional,” he said.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
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