Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Pawar noted that while the Congress party decided to field a candidate in Baramati, it was their right to do so. (File Photo)Nationalist Congress Party (SP) president and senior Rajya Sabha MP Sharad Pawar on Monday said that the Pawar family decided not to contest the Baramati by-election out of grief over the untimely demise of former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar but refrained from attacking Congress for stepping up to contest the bypoll.Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Pawar noted that while the Congress party decided to field a candidate in Baramati, it was their right to do so. When asked about his grandnephew Parth Pawar, who claimed that downfall of Congress has started since it is contesting the bypoll, Pawar remarked that he was unsure if Parth Pawar possessed the political maturity required to comment on the Congress.Following the vacancy created by Ajit Pawar’s passing, Deputy Chief Minister and his wife Sunetra Pawar filed her nomination for the Baramati by-election on Monday. While the NCP(SP) did not field a candidate, Congress—a member of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi —has entered the fray.Pawar said, “To contest any election, one must accept that there will be an opponent. We chose not to field a candidate. Many people contest many elections, but as a family, we are grieving the untimely loss of Ajit Pawar. As the head of the family, it is my responsibility. Therefore, we decided that we would not contest this election.”Regarding Rahuri, Pawar mentioned he was unaware of why Prajakt Tanpure withdrew. He stated that his party instructed local leaders to take a decision if Tanpure was not contesting, leading to the nomination of Govind Mokate.Sharad Pawar maintained that fielding a candidate in Baramati is the Congress party’s prerogative and that they likely made the decision based on the prevailing situation. He noted that while they are part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance, such issues occasionally arise in specific constituencies and are not matters of national significance.Responding to criticism of the Congress party by NCP MP Parth Pawar, Sharad Pawar said that making such political statements requires maturity. “I do not know whether he (Parth Pawar) possessed that level of political maturity,” said the veteran leader.Story continues below this adSharad Pawar further clarified that discussions regarding the merger of both NCP factions had previously taken place between Jayant Patil and Ajit Pawar. At that time, Ajit Pawar had a different stance. “Now that he is no longer with us, there is no longer any discussion regarding a merger within our party,” Pawar concluded.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:baramatimumbai news