Ajit Pawar likely to fieldCandidate against Supriya Sule in Baramati

Mumbai. Maharashtra’s Baramati is likely to witness a showdown within the Pawar family in the upcoming Lok Sabha election, with Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar hinting at fielding a candidate against his cousin and MP Supriya Sule.

The development comes amid speculation that Ajit Pawar may reportedly field his wife Sunetra Pawar from Baramati against Sule, the daughter of veteran leader Sharad Pawar.
The Baramati seat has been a bastion of the Pawar family and Supriya Sule for over five decades. Sule has represented the constituency three consecutive times since 2009.

Sharad Pawar won the Maharashtra Assembly polls from Baramati in 1967, 1972, 1978, 1980, 1985 and 1990. He won the Lok Sabha polls from the same constituency in 1984, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2004.

The situation is different in 2024, with the NCP split into two factions after Ajit Pawar and a section of MLAs joined the Eknath Shinde-BJP government.

The Deputy Chief Minister said only if his candidate wins against Sule in the Lok Sabha polls, he would contest the Assembly elections, due later this year, from Baramati.

Pawar said that he would field a candidate who had not contested an election earlier. “Since the formation of Maharashtra state and the commencement of elections till date, it has never happened in Baramati that the deposit of opposition candidate was not forfeited. And I am proud of it,” Pawar said.