Sunetra Pawar Wife of Ajit Pawar, Cleared in Alleged Rs 25,000-Crore Scam

Mumbai: In a significant development, Sunetra Pawar, wife of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and the NDA candidate for the Baramati Lok Sabha seat, has been given a clean chit by the Mumbai Police in an alleged Rs 25,000-crore cooperative bank scam.

The closure report filed by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai Police, disclosed recently, states that no criminal offense is found in the transactions associated with Ms. Pawar and her husband. This revelation comes amidst her candidacy for the Baramati Seat, where she faces her sister-in-law and incumbent MP Supriya Sule.

The report’s release has sparked renewed controversy, with opposition parties alleging bias in the investigation. The opposition has long accused the BJP of manipulating investigations and swiftly absolving leaders who align with the party, labeling it as the BJP’s “washing machine” strategy.

Ajit Pawar’s alignment with the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena alliance last year raised eyebrows, and this development adds fuel to the opposition’s claims of political interference in legal proceedings. The EOW’s closure report emphasizes that the transactions related to the Jarandeshwar Sugar Mill, linked to Ajit Pawar, did not result in any loss to the bank.

The Shiv Sena (UBT), has criticized the clean chit, citing it as evidence of the opposition’s claims. Party leader Anand Dubey lambasted the BJP’s alleged selective targeting of opposition leaders, highlighting instances where leaders facing accusations were given clean chits upon joining the BJP.

As the political landscape heats up ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the clean chit to Sunetra Pawar adds another layer of intrigue to the contest in Baramati, a stronghold of the Pawar family.