Ajit Pawar resigns as MLA, Sharad Pawar says he was `disturbed`

Sharad Pawar said that his nephew and party`s senior leader Ajit Pawar resigned from the post of the legislator as he was `disturbed` after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) named him in a money laundering case pertaining to the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank scam.

Pune: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Friday said that his nephew and party's senior leader Ajit Pawar resigned from the post of the legislator as he was "disturbed" after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) named him in a money laundering case pertaining to the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank scam.

"I contacted his son and others to know the reason. He informed his family that he is very disturbed that uncle's (Sharad Pawar) name has been brought in a case in which his (Ajit Pawar) name is also there. He was very disturbed with this," said Pawar told the media persons here.

He claimed that Ajit is not even a member of the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank. Ajit's resignation came a day after the ED registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) against him, Sharad Pawar and others in connection with the Rs 25,000 crore bank scam case.

The development comes ahead of Assembly elections in Maharashtra, scheduled to take place on October 21 and results will be announced on October 24.