MUMBAI: Parth Pawar, the elder son of late NCP leader Ajit Pawar, was overcome with emotion during ceremonial prayers held at the party office on Sunday, where his father’s ashes were brought for rituals. Visibly distressed, Parth was seen holding and hugging Ajit Pawar’s empty chair, breaking down as he paid tribute to his father.The emotional scene unfolded during the prayer ceremony organised after Ajit Pawar, who died in a plane crash in Baramati on January 28, was remembered by party leaders and workers at the NCP office.

Meanwhile, NCP Maharashtra president and Lok Sabha MP Sunil Tatkare said the ashes of Ajit Pawar would be taken to all districts of the state to allow people to pay their respects. After the public homage, the ashes would be immersed locally, he added.Tatkare also asserted that the NCP would continue to remain part of the BJP-led NDA and move forward on the ideology and path laid down by the late Ajit Pawar.Addressing speculation over merger talks, Tatkare questioned the timing of such discussions, asking why they were being raised even before Ajit Pawar’s last rites had been completed. He said he had not made any comments on the issue but a narrative was being created suggesting otherwise.Tatkare further said the NCP joined the NDA while remaining committed to its secular ideology and the principles of social justice inspired by Shivaji Maharaj, Jyotiba Phule, Shahu Maharaj and B R Ambedkar, adding that the decision carried the mandate of the people of Maharashtra.(With agency inputs)