Nationalist Congress Party (SP) President Sharad Pawar met his estranged nephew and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister (CM) Ajit on Saturday at the Pune-based Vasantdada Sugar Institute (VSI), news agency PTI reported. The meeting sparked sharp remarks from Member of Parliament (MP) Sanjay Raut from the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray).

Raut, whose party is part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance with the NCP (SP) and Congress, made it clear that his party maintains no contact with those who defected.