Ajit Pawar attends VSI meeting, sits at a distance from Sharad Pawar

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday attended the annual general body meeting of the Vasantdada Sugar Institute (VSI) for the first time after the NCP split in 2023, but sat at a distance from NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief and institute chairman Sharad Pawar. Ajit Pawar is a member of the Pune-based VSI, a premier research institute of the sugar industry. As per the initial arrangement, the two were to sit next to each other, but the deputy chief minister moved his nameplate a chair away, allowing state Cooperation Minister Babasaheb Patil to sit between them. When asked about doing so, the deputy chief minister said, “Babasaheb wanted to talk to Pawar sahab. I can talk to him (Sharad Pawar) anytime. Even if I sit one chair away, my voice will be so loud that anyone sitting far away can hear me.” The NCP chief also held a closed-door meeting with other leaders, including Sharad Pawar and NCP MLA Dilip Walse Patil.