NCP’s Sunetra Pawar sets record with historic victory in Baramati by-election
The political spotlight has once again turned to Baramati as Sunetra Pawar secured a landmark victory in the recent by-election, setting what is being described as the highest winning margin in the country’s electoral history.
Representing the Mahayuti alliance, Pawar delivered a decisive and one-sided mandate, winning by an unprecedented margin of over 2,18,930 votes by the end of the 24th round of counting. The scale of the victory has drawn national attention and placed Baramati back at the center of political discourse.
Congratulating the victory, Narendra Modi said that NDA leader and Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar has secured an impressive win in the by-polls, highlighting the significance of the mandate.
With this result, Sunetra Pawar has overtaken the previous record held by Sunil Kumar Sharma, who had won the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections by a margin of 2,14,835 votes. That record had long been considered difficult to surpass, making Pawar’s achievement particularly notable.
The victory also marks a significant moment in Baramati’s political history, as Pawar exceeded the previous local record set by her late husband, Ajit Pawar. In the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections, Ajit Pawar had won the seat by 1,65,265 votes against the BJP candidate Gopichand Padalkar. That margin was widely seen as unbeatable—until now. The by-election recorded a voter turnout of 58.17 per cent, but the contest remained largely one-sided from the outset. A major factor was the absence of a strong opposition candidate after Congress nominee Akash More withdrew from the race.
Following this withdrawal, Pawar faced 22 candidates, most of whom were independents or represented smaller parties. These included contenders such as RY Ghutukade of the New Rashtriya Samaj Party and Satish Kadam of the Hindustan Janata Party, along with several independent candidates.
Despite the presence of recognizable figures like Karuna Munde, wife of Dhananjay Munde, and reality TV personality Abhijeet Bichukale, the opposition failed to gain traction.
Collectively, all 22 opponents managed to secure just 4,837 votes—a figure that underscores the scale of Pawar’s dominance and the electorate’s consolidated support.
