Pune, Apr 21 (PTI) Political differences may exist within the Pawar family but these have never affected personal relationships, NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule said on Monday.

Three meetings between Sharad Pawar and his estranged nephew Ajit Pawar, who heads NCP, over a fortnight have sparked speculation about their political reunion after an acrimonious split in July 2023.

On Monday, the two met to discuss the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in agriculture and the sugar industry in Pune.

Asked if the two factions could reunite, Sule said, “The Pawar family never separated. All siblings have been raised with the values instilled by our grandparents. There may be political differences among us, but we’ve never allowed that to affect our personal bonds.” Responding to observations that Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has recently adopted a softer tone while speaking about Sharad Pawar, Sule said, “If Dada has become soft, everyone has welcomed it. But just because he is being soft doesn’t necessarily mean some major change is happening.” Asked if there was any formal proposal for a merger of the two NCP factions, she said, “I haven’t received any such proposal so far.” Queried on whether a decision by the two factions to unite would be acceptable to her, the Baramati Lok Sabha MP emphatically said ‘whatever decision Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar take, it will be accepted”.

Relations between Sharad and Ajit Pawar hit a low after the latter engineered a split in NCP in July 2023 and joined the then Mahayuti government under Eknath Shinde. Several MLAs of NCP joined the Ajit Pawar camp.

In the 2024 Maharashtra assembly polls, Ajit-led NCP bagged 41 of the 57 seats it contested, while NCP (SP) tally stood at 10. PTI SPK BNM