Maharashtra: Cuddling baby in arms, NCP MLA attends assembly session; CM Shinde greets newborn

Pic/CMO

A new mother and Nationalist Congress Party MLA Saroj Ahire-Wagh turned heads when she arrived at the Maharashtra Legislature with her 10-week-old infant in arms, here on Monday morning. The MLA who attended the winter session with her two and a half month old baby, was praised by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Shinde publicly praised Ahire, who attended the first day of the session with her two-and-a-half-month-old baby Adhan.

CM Shinde met Ahire and also greeted the baby.

"Making laws as a representative of the people in the legislature and performing motherhood outside the legislature is certainly challenging. Performing both these responsibilities effectively is a unique honor of achievement," said CM Shinde.

Her husband, Dr. Pravin Wagh and her mother-in-law are also accompanying and staying with her at Nagpur to take care of the infant, Prashansak, who is all of two-and-half months old, on his first 'political day out' in the state's highest law-making institution.

Interacting with the media, the radiant Wagh-Ahire, 37 -- who got married in February 2021, after her election as MLA in 2019 -- said that she would like to bring her son to the legislature daily so she could nurse him as and when needed.

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"However, there is no proper feeding room or even a creche for the women lawmakers... I feel the government should take note of this and make some arrangements so that legislators can bring their minor children," said Wagh-Ahire.

Elected from Deolali (SC) constituency in Nashik, the former LIC employees travelled with her family via the newly-inaugurated Mumbai-Nagpur Super Expressway to Nagpur, around 500 kms away to reach the legislature on time.

At her wedding in February 2021, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, top leaders, including NCP President Sharad Pawar, Chhagan Bhujbal and others had gone to bless the newly-married couple.

Other legislators, including many women were seen greeting Wagh-Ahire, playing and blessing the peacefully napping baby, and even clicking selfies with the tiny bundle - perhaps the youngest ever to 'enter' any legislature in the country.

(with inputs from IANS)