After Lok Sabha, Assembly elections, Pawar family to battle it out against each other for the third time in Baramati civic polls

After the split in the party, the Ajit Pawar-led NCP had fielded his wife Sunetra against Sharad Pawar’s daughter and NCP(SP) candidate Supriya Sule in last year’s Lok Sabha election in which Sule emerged victorious. Thereafter, the NCP(SP) fielded Yugendra Pawar in the Baramati Assembly election against his uncle Ajit, but Yugendra lost the seat. Both the NCP and the NCP(SP) dominated one election each, and for the first time contested the civic polls against each other in Baramati.

“The NCP(SP) has continued its alliance with the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) for the civic polls. Baramati is the home turf of Sharad Pawar, who has influence among voters, so the lion’s share in the alliance is with the NCP(SP), and it has been accepted by everyone in the alliance,” said Yugendra after declaring the alliance’s candidates for the civic polls.

NCP(SP) executive president Supriya Sule had earlier clarified that Yugendra would not contest the civic polls in Baramati as speculated. Ajit too had said that his son Jay Pawar will not be contesting the elections.

Yugendra said, “Baramati’s voters had entrusted the nagarpalika’s power with his uncle Ajit Pawar for the last 25 years, so now they should try the NCP(SP)-led alliance for the next five years. We will take the development and progress of the area to a new level.”

‘NCP(SP) believes in keeping democracy alive’

He alleged that the rival camp’s agenda was to finish off the Opposition and control the municipal council which was not good for Baramati. “We believe in keeping democracy alive. There should be a ruling side as well as the Opposition to run the civic body. Till now, those in power were taking decisions as per their will with the corporators merely accepting whatever orders they got from seniors without holding a discussion. We want debates in the civic body over Baramati’s issues,” he added.

All candidates of the NCP(SP) and its alliance partners are from the family of common people, as against the rival front’s candidates which includes contractors and those in real estate, Yugendra said. “The candidates of MVA are highly educated, including lawyers, doctors, and commerce graduates. Youths have also been given opportunities along with experienced leaders of Baramati.”

‘No proposal to ally with NCP’

NCP leader Kiran Gujar said that Ajit and the entire Pawar family brought about development in Baramati. “We want to continue the development work and progress of all communities of Baramati. Thus, the NCP is independently contesting the civic polls. In the Lok Sabha elections, the NCP got less votes but the votes were much higher in the Assembly elections. The civic polls are different,” he said.

Gujar said that while some sections were trying to bring the two NCPs together, there has been no proposal from the NCP(SP) to ally with the NCP. “We analysed the situation. If the alliance took shape, a few seats will have to be given to the alliance partner, which would be unjust to the loyal party workers. So it was ruled out,” he said.

The NCP and its leaders have respect for NCP(SP) chief Sharad Pawar which our leader Ajit Pawar has clarified several times and this would continue, Gujar said. “As party workers, we all want the entire Pawar family to be together, but it is not in our hands. About the Pawar family’s politics, it has always been a numbers game in the past and it continues now as well,” he said, adding that Ajit will hold only two election rallies for party candidates – one each during the beginning and end of the poll campaign.

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