Family feud in Baramati?Potential Supriya Sule-Sunetra Pawar battle

Mumbai:

Sharad Pawar’s showdown with Ajit Pawar and the legal battle for control of the nationalist Congress party have dominated Maharashtra politics for nearly a year.

Now, with less than a month to go until the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the spat between Pawar and Pawar may take on a second story in Baramati, the ‘sugar bowl of Maharashtra’ The plot, where Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule is likely to be pitted against Ajit Pawar’s daughter wife, Sunetra.

Baramati has been the Pawar family’s stronghold since 1996.

Sharad Pawar was elected to the district assembly six times, including four consecutive terms from 1996 to 2004. Crucially, the 1999 and 2004 victories came after he split from the Congress party to form the National Congress Party, underlining the fact that Baramati voters followed Mr Pawar away from the party.

Baramati has never voted for the BJP or the Shiv Sena and has only voted for non-Pawar Congress candidates four times since 1989. Since 2009, Baramati has been dominated by Supriya Supriya Sule, who is seeking to become a four-term senior councillor-overview constituency.

In 2019, she defeated a challenge from the BJP’s Kanchan Rahul Kul, securing nearly 53% of the vote and defeating her opponent by more than 1.5 lakh votes.

A fourth straight win might not be that easy, though.

Ajit Pawar has set his sights on the prestigious Baramati Lok Sabha seat amid his ongoing battle with his uncle. Earlier this month, his party nominated his wife to run for the seat. Mr Pawar may be the first choice, but he is also the deputy chief minister and will have to resign if he wins a parliamentary seat.

The BJP is also desperate to win Baramati. A victory here would be a statement of intent against the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance, of which Sharad Pawar’s NCP faction is a part. It will also boost the Mission 45 target of winning 45 of the state’s 48 Lok Sabha seats.

The two possible contenders came face to face at a Hanuman temple in Baramati, exchanging cordial greetings and hugs. The temple has political significance and all members of the Pawar family, including Ajit, visit the temple before launching their campaign.

Of course, Ms. Sur’s camp also includes her father, Sharad Pawar, the patriarch of the National Communist Party. Her nephew Rohit Pawar, who was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case last month, is also campaigning for her.

The education ministry’s summons to first-time MLA Mr Pawar has been slammed as politically motivated by Sharad Pawar’s NCP. Ms Sule, who was accompanying her nephew on the day of the trial, also accused the BJP of using (again) investigative agencies such as the education ministry to target rival leaders.

Rohit Pawar announces wave of sympathy for Sharad Pawar faction triggered by Ajit Pawar split and attack on his 83-year-old uncle will ensure Ms. Soule’s victory.

Ms Sule did not directly attack her sister-in-law but launched a wave of attacks on the political alliance she represents, which consists of the Ajit Pawar NCP faction, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Shiv Sena faction led by Chief Ek Minister Nat Shinde.

Ms. Pawar, meanwhile, has been aggressively trying to build political clout in Baramati’s rural heartland. Her day begins at 8 a.m. and includes lengthy meetings with villagers to understand their concerns. In an exclusive interview with New Delhi Television, she acknowledged her low profile but said she remained committed to crafting her own identity.

While the story of Supriya Sule-Sunetra Pawar continues to unfold, there are potential twists in the story. Shiv Sena leader Vijay Shivtare says he will contest from Baramati seat too

In the last elections, Mr. Shiftare was the candidate from Purandhar but failed and was ridiculed by Ajit Pawar. This time, Mr. Shiftare is all set to compete with Ajit Pawar’s wife.

However, he denied any suggestion of vendetta behind his decision

Baramati will go to polls on May 7 and the results will be declared on June 4.