Lok Sabha Elections 2024: NCP's family showdown in Baramati as its Sunetra Pawar vs Supriya Sule
In Maharashtra's Baramati, a historic showdown awaits as the splintered National Congress Party (NCP) gears up for a unique 'Pawar vs Pawar' contest in Supriya Sule, daughter of the party's patriarch Sharad Pawar, going up against Sunetra Pawar, wife of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.
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FollowIn one of the most prominent seats in Maharashtra, Baramati, the Pawar vs Pawar race culminates with Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra Pawar facing off against her sister-in-law Supriya Sule.
Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar) leader Sunetra Pawar’s candidature as Baramati candidate was announced on Saturday. The announcement of Pawar’s candidature was made by Maharashtra NCP unit president Sunil Tatkare, hours after the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) declared its first list of five candidates for Lok Sabha elections from Maharashtra.
In Baramati, Supriya Sule, the cousin of Ajit Pawar and daughter of Sharad Pawar, will represent the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar).
NCP candidate Sunetra Pawar stated, "Today is a huge day for me," in reference to her Baramati candidacy. She further said, "I would like to express my gratitude to Ajit Pawar, Union HM Amit Shah, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for their support."
Earlier, the NCP leader, Sharad Pawar, stated that "it is not a family fight as anyone can contest polls in a democracy" in response to allegations that Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's wife, Sunetra Pawar, was running against Sule from the Baramati constituency.
“How can this be a family fight? Anyone can contest elections in a democracy. Why are you bringing my family into this? It is just an ideological fight," Supriya Sule said.
In the 2019 elections, Supriya Sule scored a hat-trick of winning the Baramati constituency as NCP nominee.
Over the years, Baramati in the Pune region has transformed from a place that saw horrific famines to a vibrant center of trade, manufacturing, and agriculture. The political narrative of this region has been formed by the Pawar family's control for decades. Sharad Pawar's political career dates back to the 1960s, when he first won in this constituency, and the Pawar family's influence has been crucial to this change.
