Ajit said he made a mistake: Pawar

MUMBAI: NCP chief Sharad Pawar said on Monday that senior party leader and his nephew, Ajit Pawar , had confessed to him that allying with the BJP was a mistake. The 78-year-old leader also indicated that he may forgive Ajit for the misadventure that barely lasted 80 hours.

In an interview to a Marathi TV channel, ABP Majha, Pawar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made an offer to work together, which he rejected.

Pawar said that Ajit, who was widely considered as the number 2 in the party before he broke ranks and backed BJP’S Devendra Fadnavis, was irked by the long negotiation and disagreements between the NCP, Congress and the Shiv Sena on November 22.

“... Ajit took this call that night. He was told oath has to be taken immediately, if this deal had to be done. Later, Ajit told me he made a mistake,’’ said Pawar.

Pawar indicated that his nephew would be forgiven and pointed out that a large section within the NCP looked up to Ajit’s leadership.