Advantage Ajit Pawar but close fight, says Baramati

A victory for Ajit Pawar, or a result difficult to predict, is what most people told The Indian Express about the hotly contested seat.

2 min readBaramatiUpdated: Nov 22, 2024 06:40 PM IST

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar casts his vote at a polling station at Katewadi during the Maharashtra Assembly Elections, in Pune district. (PTI Photo)

“Dadach yeil pan ghasun yeil (Ajit Dada will win, but by a low margin). I voted for Tutari and I have always been with Pawar Saheb. However, I think Dada will win, although by a low margin,” said a voter after walking out of Shrimant Shabhusingh Maharaj High School and Junior College, just after Sharad Pawar cast his vote there.

Sonali Tawre, a voter at Mayuresh Primary and Higher Secondary school in Morgaon, said: “We live in Baramati city and looking at the development Ajit Dada has done there I think he will win.”

A group of men sitting outside another polling station said the election was difficult to predict. “Who can say who will win? It is a wrestling match and anyone can win it,” said one of them. Another joined the discussion and said, “Ghadyal (clock, NCP Ajit Pawar’s election symbol) will win for sure.”

A victory for Ajit Pawar, or a result difficult to predict, is what most people told The Indian Express about the hotly contested seat.

With undisputed domination, the Pawar family has won Baramati in every election since 1967. Sharad Pawar held the seat from 1967 to 1991, after which Ajit Pawar took over. Now, in a battle of prestige within the family, Ajit is contesting to defend the seat against nephew Yugendra Pawar.

Ajit split with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) last year, taking away most of Sharad Pawar’s MLAs. He joined the ruling BJP–Sena alliance and took on the mantle of Deputy Chief Minister along with Devenda Fadanvis.

However, in the Lok Sabha election held six months ago, Sharad Pawar reasserted his dominance. The NCP (S-P) won eight seats while Ajit’s faction managed only one. The Baramati Lok Sabha saw a similar family battle then, with Ajit fielding his wife Sunetra against cousin and sitting MP Supriya Sule. Sule won by a comfortable margin, which led to Ajit declaring many a time after the result that pitting family against family was a mistake. The result on Sunday will reveal how this second family battle will pan out.

Soham Shah

Soham Shah is a Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Pune. A journalism graduate with a background in fact-checking, he brings a meticulous and research-oriented approach to his current reporting. Professional Background Role: Correspondent coverig education and city affairs in Pune. Specialization: His primary beat is education, but he also maintains a strong focus on civic issues, public health, human rights, and state politics. Key Strength: Soham focuses on data-driven reporting on school and college education, government reports, and public infrastructure. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) His late 2025 work highlights a transition from education-centric reporting to hard-hitting investigative and human-rights stories: 1. Investigations & Governance "Express Impact: Mother's name now a must to download birth certificate from PMC site" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on a significant policy change by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) following his earlier reports on gender inclusivity in administrative documents. "44-Acre Mahar Land Controversy: In June, Pune official sought land eviction at Pawar son firm behest" (Nov 9, 2025): An investigative piece on real estate irregularities involving high-profile political families. 2. Education & Campus Life Faculty crisis at SPPU hits research, admin work: 62% of govt-sanctioned posts vacant, over 75% in many depts (Sept 12, 2025): An investigative piece on professor vacancies at Savitribai Phule Pune University. "Maharashtra’s controversial third language policy: Why National Curriculum Framework recommends a third language from Class 6" (July 2): This detailed piece unpacks reasons behind why the state's move to introduce a third language from class 1 was controversial. "Decline in number of schools, teachers in Maharashtra but student enrolment up: Report" (Jan 2025): Analyzing discrepancies in the state's education data despite rising student numbers. 3. Human Rights & Social Issues "Aanchal Mamidawar was brave after her family killed her boyfriend" (Dec 17, 2025): A deeply personal and hard-hitting opinion piece/column on the "crime of love" and honor killings in modern India. "'People disrespect the disabled': Meet the man who has become face of racist attacks on Indians" (Nov 29, 2025): A profile of a Pune resident with severe physical deformities who became the target of global online harassment, highlighting issues of disability and cyber-bullying. Signature Style Soham is known for his civil-liberties lens. His reporting frequently champions the rights of the marginalized—whether it's students fighting for campus democracy, victims of regressive social practices, or residents struggling with crumbling urban infrastructure (as seen in his "Breathless Pune" contributions). He is adept at linking hyper-local Pune issues to larger national conversations about law and liberty. X (Twitter): @SohamShah07 ... Read More

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