Sunetra Pawar calls Uddhav to seek support for Baramati bypoll

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP president Sunetra Pawar has called Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray to seek his support in the byelection to the Baramati assembly seat, which she will be contesting as her party's candidate.

Her NCP colleague and MP Sunil Tatkare has appealed to all parties to ensure the bypoll is unopposed, saying the people of Baramati are in an extremely emotional situation.

Pawar called Thackeray on Friday to discuss the issue. It was confirmed by Shiv Sena (UBT) secretary and MLC Milind Narvekar, and party leader Sanjay Raut.

“Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar called Uddhav Thackeray on Friday. There was a discussion on the Baramati bypoll,” Raut said.

He also said that Thackeray will hold a press conference and announce his decision about it.

Sources, however, said Thackeray was not averse to extending his support to Sunetra Pawar, considering his close ties with the late Ajit Pawar and the Pawar family.

The Baramati bypoll, to be held on April 23, has been necessitated due to the death of Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, husband of Sunetra Pawar, in a plane crash on January 28.

The Sena (UBT) is part of the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) with NCP (SP) and Congress. The Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) has already announced that it will not field any candidate against Sunetra Pawar.

However, Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal last week announced that his party would contest the Baramati bypoll. The Congress State unit has claimed that the party high command has given its go-ahead to it, and some aspirants have also been interviewed.

As per the NCP sources, Sunetra Pawar is scheduled to file her nomination papers on April 6.

She took oath as the deputy CM of the State on January 31, and was later elected as the president of the NCP.

Meanwhile, senior NCP leader Sunil Tatkare urged all political parties, including rival MVA partners, to ensure that the bye election is held unopposed, citing the emotional circumstances following Ajit Pawar’s demise.

He said the people of Baramati are facing the bypoll in an extremely emotional situation. It has been his and the NCP’s sincere wish from the very beginning that the bypoll be conducted unopposed, Tatkare said in a statement on Saturday.

“After the passing of Maharashtra’s beloved and towering leader, it is a shared responsibility of everyone towards their leader and colleague. Such a move would also uphold the political culture of the State,” he said.

Ajit Pawar was an eight-time MLA from Baramati. In the 2019 assembly election, he had won the seat by a huge margin of 1.65 lakh votes, while in 2024, he retained the seat by a difference of more than 1 lakh votes, defeating his brother’s son, Yugendra Pawar.