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The Baramati Lok Sabha constituency election has grabbed the spotlight in the state, with a tough fight brewing between Supriya Sule of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Sunetra Pawar. Leaders from the Mahavikas Aghadi alliance and the Mahayuti alliance have hit the campaign trail.
Supriya Sule kicked off her campaign by planting coconut saplings on Friday, while the very next day, Sunetra Pawar’s campaign also took off. At her first campaign rally, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar trained his guns on Rohit Pawar as well as Sharad Pawar.
“This election is not about a villager or family disputes. It is about deciding who will govern 135 crore Indians. It is a battle between Modi and Rahul Gandhi,” Ajit Pawar said, dismissing allegations against him and stating the people of Baramati know him well.
He mocked the Pawar family’s united front, recounting how at a recent meeting, Sharad Pawar sat on a chair while Supriya, Rohit and Yugandhara sat at his feet, creating an impression of unity that made news in America. “But when I was with him, we would sit apart,” he added.
Ajit Pawar claimed credit for waiving farm loans and said his entire family is now active in politics, unlike earlier when only “the grandfather’s second generation” was involved. He dared anyone to raise objections against him.
Turning to Rohit Pawar, he said he had made him a zilla parishad member despite opposition from Sharad Pawar, and later an MLA from Karjat Jamkhed against the patriarch’s wishes. He also took a dig at Yugandhara Pawar’s apparent MLA ambitions.
Ajit Pawar urged voters to back the BJP-led alliance, saying he was getting to know Modi and Shah better. He asked supporters to vote “the clock” – an apparent reference to the BJP’s poll symbol – and leave aside village factions.
The high-stakes Baramati battle has become the cynosure amid sharp attacks between the Pawar uncles and their respective camps.
