In Pune, police knock on doors of firm behind Ajit NCP’s campaign

NCP chief and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar in Pune on Tuesday. (Arul Horizon)

As the high-stakes campaign for elections to civic bodies in Maharashtra drew to a close Tuesday, a team from the Crime Branch of Pune City Police showed up at the office of DesignBoxed, the firm managing the political campaign of the NCP faction led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.

The Crime Branch presence at the firm’s office in Wakdewadi area of Shivajinagar in Pune raised eyebrows and fuelled speculation ahead of the elections Thursday. The NCP factions of Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar, rivals ever since the split in the party in 2023, have joined hands in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad for the civic body elections.

Reached for comment, Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said, “It was not a raid. An oral complaint was received and the police team had gone to verify it. The complaint was about a ruckus… The team did not find anything actionable.” He said there was some quarrel between staff members of the firm and police received a complaint.

Ajit Pawar, in a post in Marathi on X, said, “Today, officers from the Crime Branch had gone to the Pune office of Naresh Arora and his firm DesignBoxed, which works for the Nationalist Congress Party. The officers had gone there to gather information. During the process conducted by the officers concerned, necessary information was provided, and full cooperation was extended. No objectionable matter or irregularity was found.”

“The Nationalist Congress Party wishes to make it clear that in this entire matter, the party stands firmly behind Naresh Arora and his organisation DesignBoxed. The Nationalist Congress Party respects the law and believes in cooperating with all legal processes. In this case as well, full cooperation has been extended to the authorities concerned. We emphatically urge that no confusion, rumour, or unnecessary narratives be spread on this matter. Our stance is that any conclusion should be drawn only on the basis of facts. On this entire matter, the Nationalist Congress Party is articulating its position with patience, responsibility, and clarity,” he said.

Sunil Tatkare, state president of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP,  said the party chief had issued a statement on the incident. “The police visited the place and it is for them to comment. They found nothing… I do not want to say anything further,” he said.