Baramati (Maharashtra): Supriya Sule, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) party candidate won from the Baramati Lok Sabha constituency. She defeated NCP's Sunetra Pawar by a margin of 1,53,048 votes.
Sunetra is the wife of NCP leader and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, and sister-in-law of Supriya Sule. Counting of votes began here at 8 AM and Suripya took the lead from the beginning. She was able to maintain her lead and now is expected to retain her seat.
Baramati, a parliamentary constituency in Maharashtra, has garnered national attention. The adage 'Baramati equals the Pawar family' has been a long-standing perception. Ajit Pawar was expected to represent the State Assembly, while initially Sharad Pawar, and later his daughter Supriya Sule, were anticipated to hold the Lok Sabha seat.
However, the 2024 Lok Sabha elections have disrupted this pattern. Ajit Pawar, after years of allegiance to Sharad Pawar, diverged and led a rebellion, taking with him a cohort of supportive MLAs and MPs.
The Election Commission of India has acknowledged Ajit Pawar's faction as the official Nationalist Congress Party, granting it the official election symbol for both Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly elections.
In a surprising move, Ajit Pawar nominated his wife, Sunetra Pawar, to run against his sister Supriya Sule, sparking a Pawar versus Pawar contest. A similar conflict occurred in 1959 when Sharad Pawar, then with the Congress, campaigned against his brother from the Peasants and Workers Party.
The electoral duel between Supriya and Sunetra saw the entire Pawar family rallying behind Sharad Pawar. Ajit Pawar has expressed regret over the familial rift. The outcome of this battle holds significant prestige for both Sharad and Ajit Pawar, with the choice of Baramati's voters, a constituency influential in national politics, being highly consequential.
The total number of registered voters in the Baramati constituency in 2024 polls was 2372668 and the seat saw a voting turnout of 59.50 % (1411621 votes polled), according to the Election Commission’s data released on May 25, 2024. The seat went to polls in phase 3 on May 7, 2024.
In the 2019 LS Polls, Supriya Sule of undivided Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) won from Baramati, polling 686714 votes, comprising 52.63% of the total number of votes polled. Supriya Sule defeated BJP candidate Kanchan Rahul Kool by a margin of 155774 votes. Supriya Sule, daughter of former Maharashtra Chief Minister and NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, had won from Baramati Lok Sabha seat in 2014 as well, getting 521562 votes (48.90%) and defeated RSPS candidate Mahadev Jankar, by a margin of 69719 votes.
