Missing photos of Ajit and Sunetra Pawar from poster in Raigad event spark anger among NCP workers

Pune: A fresh controversy has erupted within the NCP after a background poster at a party event in Raigad district omitted the photographs of party national president Sunetra Pawar and late Ajit Pawar. The exclusion sparked a wave of resentment among party workers and triggered sharp reactions from both within the party and the opposition.The event, held in Indapur village, featured a large poster displaying images of NCP state president and Raigad MP Sunil Tatkare, his son Aniket, his daughter and cabinet minister Aditi Tatkare, and several local office-bearers. The absence of photos of Ajit and Sunetra Pawar quickly went viral on social media on Sunday, drawing heavy criticism.NCP MLC Amol Mitkari, a close associate of Ajit Pawar, was among the first to voice his disappointment. Without naming Sunil Tatkare directly, Mitkari warned: "NCP workers will not tolerate the removal of our leaders' photos from official posters. No one should attempt to take the place of the leaders who are idolised by our grassroots workers."An NCP MLA from Pune district, speaking on the condition of anonymity, added that the incident sent a poor message across the state. "Whether it was the undivided NCP or the current factions, this has always been seen as the Pawar family's party. No one can disassociate the Pawars from the NCP. It is disheartening that such a poster was used at an event attended by the state president himself," the legislator said.The Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) was quick to capitalise on the friction. Rohit Pawar, state general secretary of NCP (SP), remarked, "This is a clear example of the real owners of the party being sidelined. We have been saying this for a long time, and now this poster provides the evidence."As the controversy intensified, minister Aditi Tatkare took to social media to issue a clarification and an apology. She attributed the oversight to the local unit responsible for organising the event."These events are organised by local party units. This particular event was at the gram panchayat level, and I express my sincere apologies for the missing photographs of Ajitdada and Sunetra kaki," she wrote on ‘X' (formerly Twitter).She further defended her family's loyalty, stating, "The place Ajitdada and Sunetra Kaki hold in our hearts is irreplaceable. Our loyalty should not be judged by a single poster. As our leader, Sunetra kaki has every right to pull us up for our mistakes. However, this incident has shown us how certain machineries work to magnify local issues into larger controversies."