Battleground Baramati | It’s Supriya Sule vs Sunetra Pawar in NCP’s big family showdown

The stage is set for the mother of all electoral battles in the prestigious Baramati seat in Maharashtra with the two NCP factions turning it into a ‘Pawar vs Pawar’ affair.

While the NCP (SP) has re-nominated three-time MP Supriya Sule, who is the NCP founder Sharad Pawar's daughter, the other faction of the NCP has named debutant Sunetra Pawar, the wife of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, as its candidate.

Sule and Ajit Pawar are cousins and Sunetra Pawar is the sitting MP’s sister-in-law.

For the electorate in Baramati, it may be a contest between Supriya Tai (sister) and Sunetra Vahini (sister-in-law), but it symbolises a deeper power struggle between Ajit Pawar and his seasoned uncle Sharad Pawar who is known for his political acumen and grassroots support.

Voters in dilemma

Making the announcement regarding Sunetra’s candidature, NCP leader Sunil Tatkare emphasised that the contest symbolises a “clash of ideologies” rather than a mere family feud. The decision to field Sunetra Ajit Pawar comes after an intense period of campaigning in Baramati, where she has been actively engaging with locals and party members.

“It will be a very tough choice for voters and party workers to choose between two Pawars. It is a contest they would have never imagined before July 2 last year,” Madan Devkate, a local leader bearing allegiance to Ajit Pawar, told PTI.

Ajit Pawar and eight NCP MLAs joined the Eknath Shinde government on July 2 last year, resulting in a split in the NCP.

“There is immense respect for Sharad Pawar but looking at the future and the kind of work Ajit Pawar has done in the region, the latter has the edge in the poll battle this time,” Devkate claimed.

“The older generation is with Sharad Pawar saheb, while the younger lot roots for Ajit Dada,” said a local resident and teacher Manoj Wagh, while talking to PTI.

Earlier, Shiv Sena (Shinde camp) leader Vijay Shivtare, a fierce critic of Ajit Pawar, decided against contesting from Baramati in upcoming elections, dropping his belligerent stand. His move to back out of the electoral arena has turned it into a straight fight between Supriya and Sunetra.

Family backing Sule

Sharad Pawar has entrusted the responsibility of Sule’s campaign to his grandnephew, Rohit Pawar, who has been extensively touring the constituency.

Interestingly, most of the members of the Pawar clan are backing Sule. Prominent among them is Sriniwas Pawar, Ajit Pawar’s brother, who along with his family has thrown weight behind her. No key member of the Pawar family is supporting Ajit Pawar for whom this election great significance, particularly after his son, Parth Pawar, lost the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Maval segment against Shiv Sena candidate Shrirang Barne.

Sriniwas has often expressed gratitude towards their octogenarian uncle, Sharad Pawar, for everything he has provided, emphasising the family’s loyalty and commitment to him. “We always had this idea that Supriya would represent Baramati in the Lok Sabha, while Ajit would raise our voice in the state assembly,” he said. According to him, the circumstances may have changed, yet their allegiance to their uncle remains steadfast. Sriniwas’ spouse too is seeking votes for Supriya Sule while touring across the constituency.

‘BJP caused split’

In her first reaction over her sister-in-law’s candidature from Baramati Lok Sabha seat, sitting MP Supriya Sule on Sunday said Sunetra Pawar was like her mother and accused the ruling BJP of causing a split in the Pawar family.

“The BJP leaders who are campaigning in Baramati are claiming that they want to defeat Sharad Pawar. This clearly shows that BJP does not want to ensure the development of Baramati. They only want to defeat Sharad Pawar. They didn’t have a candidate and so they decided to cause a split in our family. They made our own family member stand for the election. The wife of an elder brother whom we address as Vahini is like a mother. This is in our culture. The BJP has fielded my mother against me,” Sule said while speaking to reporters in her constituency.

Boost for Ajit camp

Though his uncle may have an upper hand in Baramati, the NCP led by Ajit Pawar recently received a shot in the arm with Rashtriya Samaj Party (RSP) chief Mahadev Jankar deciding to remain with the ruling alliance.

In 2014, Jankar had given a tough fight to Sule in Baramati and she had won the seat by about 70,000 votes. A former minister and a prominent OBC leader, Jankar wields significant clout among the Dhangar community in western Maharashtra and Marathwada. The community also has a sizable population in Baramati.

Jankar’s move came as a jolt to the NCP (SP) as he was in touch with Sharad Pawar after “being sidelined by the ruling alliance”. Had he joined hands with Pawar it would have helped Sule’s poll prospects in Baramati.

Pawar pocket borough

For over 55 years, the Baramati Lok Sabha seat has been a bastion of the Pawar family. Sharad Pawar won the Maharashtra assembly polls from Baramati for the first time in 1967. He retained the seat in the 1972, 1978, 1980, 1985 and 1990 assembly polls.

The Baramati Lok Sabha constituency includes six assembly segments – Baramati town, Indapur, Daund, Purandar, Bhor and Khadakwasla. Sharad Pawar has a committed voter base and enjoys immense goodwill among people.

Ajit Pawar has been MLA from Baramati since 1991, with his victory in 2019 being among the most crushing in the state's poll history.

He garnered 83 per cent of the vote share and defeated the BJP's Gopichand Padalkar by a whopping 1,65,000 votes.