After the Maharashtra Assembly Elections results, NCP leader Ajit Pawar criticized NCP faction led by Sharad Pawar for its decision to field his nephew Yugender Pawar against him in the family bastion of Baramati. Ajit Pawar also mentioned that his decision to field wife Sunetra Pawar against his sister Supriya Sule in the Lok Sabha election was a mistake. 

Sharad Pawar led NCP had fielded Yugender Pawar, son of Ajit Pawar’s elder brother Shrinivas Anantrao Pawar, in the Baramati Assembly segment. The constituency was represented by Sharad Pawar for over two decades, followed by Ajit Pawar for over three. In this assembly election, 33-year-old Yugendra Pawar was backed by Sharad Pawar and four-time Baramati MP Supriya Sule. However, Yugender Pawar lost out against his formidable uncle by a margin of over 1 lakh votes.

While addressing the media, Ajit Pawar said that Yugendra is a business person, and he had no connection with politics. He added that there was no reason to field his own nephew against him in the elections.

Earlier in the Lok Sabha elections 2024, Ajit Pawar had fielded his wife Sunetra Pawar against his cousin and Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule, who won the contest by a 1.5 lakh votes margin. Later, Ajit Pawar admitted that it was a mistake.

Sharad Pawar had defended the decision to field Yugendra Pawar, mentioning that someone had to contest the polls. He had also said there was no comparison between Ajit Pawar and Yugendra Pawar. 

Notably, a 2023 rebellion led by Ajit Pawar against his uncle split the NCP founded by Sharad Pawar. Since then, the senior Pawar has been fighting to win his party’s name and symbol back. 

Previously In the Lok Sabha election, the veteran had trumped his nephew, with his faction winning 8 seats compared to Ajit Pawar’s score of 1. However this time, the tables turned as NCP (Sharad Pawar) scored 10, but Ajit Pawar’s party won 41.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday accused the BJP government of orchestrating the violence in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal district during a mosque survey, claiming it was a ploy to distract from electoral malpractice.

Yadav, the former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, also alleged incidents of electronic booth capturing during the recently concluded bypolls for nine Assembly seats in the state, suggesting that a forensic examination of the electronic voting machines (EVMs) by the Election Commission could provide clarity on the situation.

Earlier in the day, the Uttar Pradesh Police used tear gas to disperse the crowd after it got violent and started stone pelting as tension escalated during a second survey of the Mughal-era mosque, claimed to be originally the site of an ancient Hindu temple. At least ten people were detained following the violent clash.

The local administration said that a second survey, led by an “Advocate Commissioner” as part of a court-mandated examination of the disputed area, commenced around 7 AM, attracting a gathering crowd.

Yadav made the statement a day after the results of the UP bypolls, where the Samajwadi Party secured only two seats, while the BJP and its ally, the RLD, won seven, including the Kundarki seat, which has a significant Muslim population.

“A serious incident took place in Sambhal, where a survey team was intentionally sent in the morning to disrupt election discussions. Their goal was to create chaos and prevent any debate on election-related issues,” Yadav claimed.

He said that several individuals were injured in the Sambhal violence, with one fatality, and questioned the need for a new survey conducted without proper preparation, especially when a previous survey had already been completed.

The Samajwadi Party chief said, “I won’t delve into legalities, but the other side wasn’t given a fair hearing. This was clearly designed to incite emotions and distract from conversations about electoral fraud.”

Yadav asserted that the events in Sambhal were a deliberate act by the BJP to divert attention from the alleged electoral irregularities. “In a true democracy, victory should come from the people, not the system. The kind of democracy the BJP is establishing ensures that the system prevails over the voters,” he stated.

He said that impartial investigations would reveal that many voters were unable to cast their ballots and that someone else had fraudulently voted in their place.

He charged that on election day, the police and administration removed nearly all of the Samajwadi Party’s booth agents and many supporters eager to vote. “If voters were shut out, who actually cast the votes? If our party’s votes didn’t reach those booths and our candidate received no support, then who voted there? This is a serious concern,” he said.

Yadav also pointed out discrepancies with polling slips, alleging the presence of both red-marked and regular slips, which he claimed led to discriminatory practices on voting day. Haji Rizwan, the Samajwadi Party candidate for Kundarki, echoed the same claims, stating that his supporters faced barriers to voting. BJP’s Ramveer Singh won the Kundarki bypoll by a notable margin of over 145,000 votes.

Yadav said that a victory gained through deceit is nothing but an illusion that ultimately burdens those who orchestrated it. “This entire act has been staged by the BJP. Such a victory only morally weakens those who achieve it and dulls their conscience,” he said.

He questioned how one can uphold democracy when the government and administration themselves engage in oppression. “This dishonesty is not a new phenomenon. Election rigging has become their standard operating procedure, and the evidence has been captured on camera. Even an MLA faced humiliation,” the former chief minister alleged.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday criticised former Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, accusing him of undermining the rule of law for politicians who switched parties in Maharashtra.

This statement from Raut follows his party’s disappointing performance in the recent state Assembly elections, where they secured only 20 out of the 95 seats contested within the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance. The results for the alliance’s partners were similarly poor, with Congress winning 16 of 101 seats and the NCP (SP) claiming just 10 of the 86 seats they contested for.

Raut asserted that by failing to rule on the disqualification petitions, Chandrachud enabled defections to occur freely.

Speaking to reporters, Raut said: “Chandrachud has eradicated the fear of the law among defectors. His actions will be remembered negatively in history.”

After the split of the Shiv Sena in 2022, the faction led by Uddhav Thackeray filed petitions in the Supreme Court seeking the disqualification of MLAs who defected to join Eknath Shinde. The Supreme Court subsequently assigned the responsibility to the Assembly Speaker, who earlier this year ruled that the Shinde-led faction represented the real political party.

Raut said the result of the Maharashtra Assembly election 2024 could have been different if Chandrachud had not delayed the decisions regarding disqualification petitions.

 “If he would have given a timely verdict in disqualification petition of Shiv Sena (UBT), the scenario in Maharashtra would have been different. History will never forgive him,” he said. 

“The choice of Maharashtra’s Chief Minister will be dictated by the Gujarat lobby. Perhaps the swearing-in ceremony should take place in Gujarat instead of Maharashtra,” he said. Additionally, Raut credited the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for their role in the success of the Mahayuti coalition, alleging that their aggressive campaigning techniques significantly influenced the election results.