The ₹300 crore Pune land scam swirling around Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s family is not just another corruption allegation—it is a credibility crisis staring straight at the BJP and the NDA. The fact that the shady deal involves a firm linked to Ajit Pawar’s son, Parth Pawar, puts the ruling Mahayuti government squarely in the dock. And this time, even a hurried suspension of the Tehsildar and a high-level probe ordered by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis may not be enough to contain the political fallout. Let’s face it: Ajit Pawar did not come to the NDA as a saint washed clean. His political baggage was known, acknowledged, and willingly embraced in the quest for arithmetic supremacy. From irrigation scams to questionable decision-making in crises—including that infamous episode where a businessman linked to his family escaped scrutiny after mowing down two sisters in Pune—Ajit Pawar’s record is a recurring nightmare of scandals. The BJP chose to look the other way then. Now, that indulgence has returned with reinforced vengeance. This latest episode is particularly damning. About 40 acres of government-owned ‘Mahar Vatan’ land in Pune’s pricey Mundhwa belt transferred to a private firm—linked to Ajit Pawar’s son—for ₹300 crore. Stamp duty waived. Mandatory permissions ignored. A government asset is allegedly turned into a private jackpot, leaving the state exchequer poorer by crores. All executed with astonishing speed, precision, and bureaucratic complicity. It is difficult to believe political power wasn’t the lubricant driving this engineered bonanza.
Ajit Pawar predictably denies involvement. “My children run their own business,” he says. Classic political parenting: highly successful progeny with total independence — except when under scrutiny. Ministers in the government scramble to offer clean chits while the Opposition has found fresh oxygen to attack the Mahayuti. For a coalition already struggling with fractured mandate politics and trust deficits, this scandal is a ticking grenade. The BJP must ask itself a simple question: is this alliance worth the rot it carries? Maharashtra voters are not blind. They can see who the repeat offender is. And they will not spare the party that chose to shield him once again. If the BJP continues to clutch Ajit Pawar’s faction to its chest, it risks sinking with it. Moral grandstanding against corruption loses meaning when the party tolerates serial offenders in power. The NDA’s credibility is already under strain. Every additional day spent defending the indefensible only deepens the dent. The BJP still has time to course-correct. It can either prove it stands for clean governance, or admit that power matters more than principles. The choice is clear. As long as Ajit Pawar remains in the ruling alliance, the NDA remains in political danger. The deadweight must go. Before it drags everyone down with it.
