Sonai Dairy chairman Dashrath Mane and his son Pravin Mane, along with several others previously aligned with the Nationalist Congress Party (SCP) on Sunday announced their allegiance to Ajit Pawar. The decision, reportedly influenced by a meeting with Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, marks another realignment ahead of a fierce Lok Sabha contest in Baramati.
Dasharath Mane, who held a prominent position within the circles close to Sharad Pawar, has long been associated with NCP. Pravin Mane was head of the political campaign of the Supriya Sule in Indapur, which is part of the Baramati constituency.
However, the Mane family along with all their followers decided to join the Ajit Pawar faction of NCP. The shift is considered a setback for Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule, who is locked in a fight against Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra Pawar.
Addressing the media, Sonai group director Pravin Mane said, “We have decided to go with development. People prefer development over politics. We have given preferences to those who will develop our area.’’
Pravin Mane further said, “It is true that we were campaigning for Supriyatai a few days ago. But at that time, no candidate was in front of Tai (Sule). Once Sunil ji Tatkare announced Sunetra Vahini’s (Sunetra Pawar) name from Baramati, then there was no confusion in our mind, and we decided to support Sunetra Vahini (sister-in-law in Marathi).
Dashrath Mane said, “This election will decide what is your choice between Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi. We have decided to support Modi because he has done so much work on developmental fronts.” Mane told them they had decided to support patriotism. It is always better to go with national interest than personal interest.
Reacting to the development, NCP (SP) leader and MLA Rohit Pawar said, “Praveen Mane has a significant business and considerable wealth. It remains to be seen whether Mane’s departure was voluntary or was forced by someone.”
Despite such shifts in leadership, Rohit Pawar expressed confidence, asserting that the support of the people remains with Sharad Pawar. He claimed that Supriya Sule will secure a win with three lakh votes.
Refuting these allegations, Dashrath Mane said, “There was no any kind of pressure on us. The decision was taken voluntarily after discussing with our followers.’
The Mane family has been controlling Sonai Dairy and its subsidiary companies in the Pune district. By collecting daily more than 5 lakh litres of milk, Sonai group has provided jobs to 5,000 people in Indapur and adjoining areas of the Pune district, said Dasharath Mane.
Political observers feel, through Sonai dairy, Dashrath Mane and his family have influenced a large chunk of the people from Pune district specifically from Indapur, Walchandnagar region which comes under Baramati Lok Sabha contingency. Mane’s defection to Ajit Pawar-led NCP may pose a major challenge for Supriya Sule.
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