Lok Sabha: High-Stake Battle Between Ajit Pawar's Wife Sunetra Pawar And Supriya Sule In Baramati

In the high-stake battle in Baramati, Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule is pitted against sister-in-law Sunetra Pawar, wife of Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar.

File photo of Supriya Sule with her sister-in-law Sunetra Pawar.

Source : PTI

Baramati Lok Sabha seat in Maharashtra, which has been the bastion of the National Congress Party (NCP), is seeing a tough contest between the Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar factions.

In the high-stake battle in Baramati, Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule is pitted against sister-in-law Sunetra Pawar, wife of Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar.

While Sunetra Pawar is making her political debut in Baramati, Sule is a three-time sitting MP from the seat, which was first won by her father, Sharad Pawar, in 1984. The seat went to polls in the third phase of polling on May 7, while the results will be announced on June 4.

All About Baramati Seat

The Baramati seat in Maharashtra lies in the Pune district and has been the bastion of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).  The Baramati Lok Sabha constituency includes six assembly segments including Baramati town, Indapur, Daund, Purandar, Bhor and Khadakwasla.

The Pawar family has maintained a firm grip on the seat for 27 years, making it a symbol of their enduring political influence. The Lok Sabha seat has been represented by Sharad Pawar, six times in a row in 1984, 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2004. 

Thereafter, Sharab Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule has been winning the seat since 2009. She even won the seat during the BJP's wave in 2014. Sule has represented the seat for three consecutive terms since 2009 and was the Rajya Sabha MP before that from 2006 to 2009.  

In the 2019 elections, Sule won the Baramati seat garnering 6.86 lakh votes defeating BJP's Kanchan Rahul Kool who got 5.3 lakh votes. 

However, Ajit Pawar, who rebelled against uncle Sharad Pawar last year, is trying to wrest the stronghold from the NCP veteran and has found some support in the area. 

What Exit Polls Show?

The exit polls on Sunday predicted Supriya Sule in a leading position in the Baramati seat against Sunetra Pawar, as per the India Today-Axis My India exit poll.

Meanwhile in Maharashtra, the ABP-CVoter projected a tight contest in the state with the INDIA Alliance likely getting 23-25 seats and the NDA alliance getting 22-26 seats.