'I am in govt with those who alleged Rs 70k crore scam against me': Ajit Pawar defends NCP move to back gangsters’ kin on PMC poll turf

PUNE: NCP chief Ajit Pawar on Friday cited his own example of facing irrigation scam allegations to justify his party's support for the candidature of gangsters' kin in the Pune Municipal Corporation poll and said unless charges are proven in a court of law no one can be labelled a criminal.

Without naming BJP, deputy chief minister Pawar said he is now part of the govt with those who had levelled corruption charges against him in the past."Allegations of a Rs70,000 crore scam were made against me; but today I am in the govt with all those who had levelled those allegations. How can anyone be held guilty before the charges against them are proven?" Pawar said at a press conference in response to a question about his party backing relatives of gangsters Bandu Andekar and Gajanan Marne as candidates.Pune MP Murlidhar Mohol, who is also BJP's in-charge of the district for the civic polls, on Thursday criticised Pawar for such a decision, which, he said would disturb the law and order situation in the city.Pawar on Friday referred to the recent case of gangster Nilesh Ghaiwal to counter Mohol. Ghaiwal fled the country on a passport which he managed to obtain using duplicate documents and the opposition alleged some BJP members helped him.

"Who helped that person (Ghaiwal) to fly abroad? Who provided him with a passport? Dig out more to find out the names of those who helped him," the NCP chief said. Marne's wife, Jayashree, is contesting from the Bavdhan-Bhusari Colony ward on an NCP ticket. NCP also formed an alliance with RPI (Kharat) in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad municipal corporations, and from that party's quota, Andekar's daughter-in-law, Sonali, and sister-in-law, Laxmi, are contesting from the Raviwar Peth-Rasta Peth wards.

Bandu Andekar's son, Vanraj, was a former NCP corporator who was murdered on Sept 1, 2024.

Vanraj's widow, Sonali, and Laxmi are likely to contest on NCP's clock symbol.Pawar said, "Along with the alliance with NCP(SP), our party also formed a tie-up with RPI (Kharat), and we gave them certain seats. Now it is their decision to distribute tickets for those seats." Pawar, who is also the Pune guardian minister, made a series of corruption allegations in Pimpri Chinchwad civic body, which was won by BJP in 2017. "When NCP was in power, it was the richest municipal corporation in Asia; however, now it is bankrupt. The corporation is ruined by rampant corruption, and people should vote us to stop it," he said.