Ajit Pawar’s son with a penchant for controversies: Who is Parth Pawar, whose meeting with a ‘gangster’ has kicked up a row?

A picture of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s son Parth Pawar meeting a Pune-based strongman with a criminal record hit the headlines on Friday, bringing in a lot of attention. But not the kind an up-and-coming politician would have anticipated or wanted.

Finding himself in a pickle as the picture went viral and generated backlash, Ajit was quick to respond. ”This is wrong. Parth should not have met the gangster. I am collecting information in this regard,” said the Deputy CM. Parth, who regularly takes to X to make his views on various issues public, has so far not issued a response.

This row comes at a time when Parth is attempting to find his feet politically. He contested his first Lok Sabha election in 2019 from Maval in Pune district but lost heavily — over two lakh votes — to Shrirang Barne of the Shiv Sena.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar had openly voiced his opposition to fielding Parth from Maval, a decision that created much tension between him and Ajit, his nephew. The decision to field Parth came at the cost of Pawar withdrawing from the race. The senior Pawar was said to be keen that not more than two members of his family should contest the elections. Supriya Sule, Sharad Pawar’s daughter, contested and won from the family borough of Baramati. Parth’s position in the party going forward is also said to have been a point of contention between Ajit and his uncle.

Since Ajit parted ways with Pawar and joined the Shiv Sena-BJP with his faction of the NCP last July, Parth has been touring and preparing ground as his father prepares to go to polls on his own. Parth is learnt to have again expressed his intention of contesting from Maval in the coming parliamentary polls but it