Pawar family maintains Diwali tradition despite NCP split

While the bhau beej programme usually takes place at Sharad Pawar’s Govindbaug residence in Baramati, this time it was held at his nephew’s residence in the nearby Katewadi village.

The Pawar clan maintained their annual Diwali celebration gathering with NCP patriarch Sharad Pawar and his daughter, and Member of Parliament, Supriya Sule attending bhau beej festivities at Deputy Deputy Chief Minister and ‘rebel’ Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar’s farmhouse in Katewadi in Baramati district.

The Pawar family, led by octogenarian Sharad Pawar, has congregated every year to celebrate Diwali. While the bhau beej programme usually takes place at Sharad Pawar’s Govindbaug residence in Baramati, this time it was held at his nephew’s residence in the nearby Katewadi village.

Present on the occasion were Mr. Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra Pawar, and their children Parth Pawar and Jay Pawar.

On July 2 this year, the 64-year-old Ajit Pawar had split the NCP founded by Sharad Pawar in order to join the ruling Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, while challenging his uncle for control of the party machine.

This was the family’s first Diwali since the split within the NCP. However, family members, including Ms. Sule have repeatedly stressed upon the Pawar clan’s ethos of keeping politics and personal relations separate.

In an Instagram post after the programme, Ms. Sule posted photos of the family get-together with the caption: “Blessed! Embracing the beauty of our traditions with pride…Baramati.”

On Tuesday, Mr. Ajit Pawar had skipped the morning events on occasion of the Diwali ‘Padwa Day’ at his uncle’s Govindbaug residence, triggering intense speculation that the mercurial nephew wanted to avoid being seen with his uncle and his cousin, Ms. Sule.