Shirur MP and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Amol Kolhe claimed on Monday that Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar repeatedly urged him to join his faction. This came after the latter took a dig at Kolhe, saying politics was not his forte as he had offered to resign two years into his term.
In a video shared on X (formerly Twitter), Kolhe said, "If I was going to resign, did I stop going to Parliament? Did I stop speaking in Parliament? Did I stop raising questions in Parliament? If you look at it in its entirety, my work is better than your party's state chief (Sunil Tatkare). Besides, if you thought I would resign, why did you send emissaries 10 times to urge me to join your party?"
Kolhe, a popular Marathi actor known for portraying Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj in movies and television serials, began his political journey with the Shiv Sena. However, he later resigned and joined the NCP before the 2019 elections. He contested from Shirur, defeating Shiv Sena's three-time MP Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil by over 58,000 votes.
During a rally, Pawar questioned Kolhe's visibility in the constituency and said political parties rope in celebrities for their mass appeal. "Hema Malini contests elections and wins. Sunny Deol and Govinda were also fielded in some places. Rajesh Khanna, Shatrughan Sinha, and Amitabh Bachchan have also contested elections. What connection do celebrities have with politics?" Pawar said. "The point is whether celebrities are keen on doing development work in their areas. People find celebrities promising and vote for them. We (politicians) are also at fault for roping them in without knowing their capabilities," he added.
Reacting to this, Kolhe said, "None of the celebrities (Pawar) mentioned have won the Sansad Ratna Award. I have won it thrice in my one term."
Kolhe also claimed that the Mahayuti - the ruling coalition consisting of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and Eknath Shinde's faction of Shiv Sena - is likely to field a celebrity candidate from Shirur.
