Mumbai: A riveting battle is on the cards in Baramati where two warring factions of the NCP are banking on 'Nari Shakti' to win the prestigious seat in the Lok Sabha polls. Sunetra Pawar of NCP and Supriya Sule of NCP (SP), both once united as members of Pawar family but now divided by politics, are in the fray.
Supriya Sule, the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) and daughter of Sharad Pawar, is set to contest from the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) ticket under the leadership of her father. On the other hand, Ajit Pawar, who is determined to prove his might and political worth, has decided to field his wife Sunetra Pawar as his party’s candidate.
Baramati is among the most-watched constituencies in the country where NCP chief Sharad Pawar had held sway for decades before sickness and age forced him to opt out from the heat and dust of electioneering. This seat looks set for a contest where the tilt looks in favour of Sharad Pawar's daughter.
Nationalist Congress Party chief and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra Pawar, admitted the challenge of contesting against her sister-in-law Supriya Sule. In a two-page letter addressed to the voters, she has asserted that the 2024 Lok Sabha election has brought a new challenge for her especially when two women of the same family are contesting the elections against each other.
Though the political landscape of Maharashtra is dotted with several constituencies that over the decades have transformed into fiefs of the locally-dominant families, Baramati is the constituency gaining more prominence due to existence as a political bastion of the Pawar family.
For several decades, the Pawar family and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led Sharad has dominated the Baramati Lok Sabha constituency and the associated Vidhan Sabha constituencies.
However, this time the battle is different. After a split in the NCP led by the family patriarch’s nephew and the present Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in July 2023, Baramati Lok Sabha constituency is in for an unprecedented showdown this time.
Who is Sunetra Pawar?
Sunetra, who keeps low-key presence, is popularly known as Vahini (elder sister) among local people. Sunetra, who hails from the politically influential Patil family from Dharashiv in Marathwada, is the board member of several Pawar family run organisations. On the surface, her lack of experience in politics may seem a drawback, but her husband Ajit Pawar's long background in politics here is expected to work in her favour.
What are the chances of Sunetra's victory?
As usual, Supriya banks on from the legacy of his father and the Pawar family in the region. Sunetra on the other hand, looks to benefit from the groundwork laid by her husband, Ajit Pawar. Sharad Pawar is known as the face of Baramati, but Ajit Pawar has been Pawar's 'Man Friday' who built the constituency brick-by-brick as a family fortress.
"As an elderly woman family member, this conflict doesn't sit well with me, but duty demands a broader perspective considering everyone's interest. In doing so, I find myself in the arena of parliamentary elections. Entering politics and that too against my family members was indeed a difficult reality for me to accept initially. My husband has taken a new political stand which was not just his, but was also taken by all the senior leaders and party workers who are closely associated with the Nationalist Congress Party's journey," she said.
According to her, the doctrine of developmental politics has been advocated by the Pawar family. Sunetra released her letter ahead of the filing of nominations on April 18 as the polling is slated for May 7.
Sunetra defends husband's move
Sunetra Pawar also strongly defends her husband’s move to desert his uncle and NCP founder Sharad Pawar. She said the decision was taken by lakhs of party workers, majority of the legislators and Members of Parliament from Maharashtra.
"This decision was not in defiance against Saheb (Sharad Pawar) but consistent with the stand taken by the party earlier. Ajit Pawar took a decision keeping in line with this doctrine of development," she noted.
"Contesting in the Lok Sabha elections from Baramati is an acid test for me, but at the same time, I carry in me the same strength that emerges within any other ordinary woman during such times," Sunetra added.
She stated that this election is an opportunity to expand her social work and her approach to politics is transparent and straightforward just like her husband. She made an emotional appeal to voters for herself for the ambitious objective of Viksit Bharat and Viksit Baramati.
"This Lok Sabha election is about development for me. It is about contributing to the country's progress and realising the aspirations of my countrymen. Narendra Modi has elevated India's stature globally. Let us contribute to India's journey of becoming a superpower by giving Narendra Modiji a third term as Prime Minister," she said.
According to her, there is love and trust for Narendra Modi in the hearts of the people. "I have confidence that the voters of the Baramati Lok Sabha constituency will not waver in showing their love and trust when it comes to voting in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections," she summed up.
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