Baramati (Pune), June 24 (UNI) Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SP) Supremo Sarad Pawar on Tuesday criticised Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar for contesting the Malegaon sugar factory election and said that people holding high government positions should stay away from cooperative society polls.

"I have never contested cooperative society elections while in government in my 40 years of career," said the veteran leader.

Pawar was talking to reporters in Baramati in the backdrop of Ajit Pawar's Nilkantheshwar panel winning a clear victory in the Malegaon Cooperative sugar factory election.

Ajit Pawar is himself one of the contestants in the sugar factory election.

"In my 40-year career, I have not contested any cooperative election while holding a government office. If the opposition faces any problem, how can a person in government who is the head of a factory give justice to the opposition", the senior Pawar said. UNI SP NST SSP