NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule on Thursday said the Pawar family has decided not to celebrate Diwali festival this year.
“Our aunt, Bharati Prataprao Pawar, passed away recently. She was like a mother to all of us. Therefore, we, the entire Pawar family, have collectively decided not to celebrate this year`s Diwali,” the Lok Sabha member said in a post on X.
आमच्या काकी सौ भारती प्रतापराव पवार यांचे नुकतेच निधन झाले. त्या आम्हा सर्वांसाठी आईसमान होत्या. म्हणूनच आम्ही सर्व पवार कुटुंबीयांनी मिळून यावर्षीची दिवाळी साजरी न करण्याचा निर्णय घेतला आहे. त्यामुळे दरवर्षी गोविंदबाग, बारामती येथे होणारी दिवाळी आणि दिवाळीच्या पाडव्यानिमित्त…
— Supriya Sule (@supriya_sule) October 16, 2025
The annual Diwali celebrations and the programme of meeting relatives on the occasion of Diwali Padva at Govindbag in Pune`s Baramati area will also not be held this year, said Sule, who is the daughter of NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar.
Bharati Pawar (77), wife of Sharad Pawar`s younger brother Prataprao Pawar, passed away in March this year.
Nothing wrong in joining hands in national interest: Sule on Raj Thackeray`s possible MVA inclusion
Meanwhile, amid a buzz about Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray joining opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule on Wednesday said there was nothing wrong in coming together in the national interest, reported PTI.
She, however, also made it clear that senior MVA leaders will deliberate and decide on the inclusion of the MNS in the alliance.
Replying to a query if the MVA has found a new ally in Raj Thackeray, Sule said, “There is nothing wrong in coming together in the national interest,” reported PTI.
“But the decision on including Raj Thackeray in the MVA will be taken by all senior leaders. These are major political decisions and are not made in front of cameras. Such discussions happen in meetings. We will communicate the decision after a meeting,” Sule told reporters in Pune.
Her statement comes a day after Raj Thackeray joined top Opposition leaders, including NCP (SP) head Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, in visiting the Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer S Chockalingam and flagging alleged irregularities in the poll process, including the voters` rolls.
Raj Thackeray`s active participation led to a fresh discussion on whether the MNS will join the larger Opposition bloc.
On Monday, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut claimed that the MNS wants the Congress to be taken along. A section of state Congress leaders has, however, opposed any move to join hands with the MNS.
The MVA consists of the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP).
Meanwhile, when asked about the passport controversy involving fugitive gangster Nilesh Ghaywal and allegations that he obtained a passport during the MVA government`s tenure, Sule said, “It is the Ministry of External Affairs that issues passports, not the police. Everyone is aware of the procedure and everyone knows who has been in power for the last 11 years.”
Ghaywal, who has multiple serious cases against him, is suspected to have fled the country by fraudulently obtaining a passport. The Pune police said that they have already issued a Look Out Notice against him and are also probing how he managed to obtain the passport despite having multiple cases against him.
(With inputs from PTI)
