New Delhi: NCP (Sharad Pawar) announced the names of two more candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections on Thursday. The party has fielded Supriya Sule for Baramati, Amar Kale for Wardha, Bhaskar Bhagare for Dindori, Amol Kolhe for Shirur, Nilesh Lanke for Ahmednagar, Bajarang Sonawane for Beed, and Suresh Mhatre for Bhiwandi.
In the upcoming electoral contest, Baramati is set to witness a familial clash as the three-term parliamentarian and daughter of NCP founder Sharad Pawar, Supriya Sule, will lock horns with her sister-in-law, Sunetra Pawar, wife of Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister, Ajit Pawar.
Baramati heads to the polls in the third phase scheduled for May 7, with the results to be announced on June 4.
In Dindori (ST) seat, Bhagre is set to challenge the incumbent BJP MP, Bharati Pawar. Meanwhile, in Ahmednagar constituency, Lanke, the incumbent MLA from Parner, prepares to confront Sujay Vikhe Patil, the BJP MP.
Nilesh Lanke, previously with the Sharad Pawar-led faction but later aligned with the Ajit Pawar faction following an internal split, recently joined back the NCP (SP) after a series of meetings held last month.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra's NCP unit president, Sunil Tatkare, has announced Mahadev Jankar will contest the Parbhani seat. Tatkare himself, along with Sunetra Pawar, will enter the electoral fray from Raigad and Baramati constituencies, respectively.
In a recent development, just ahead of the commencement of Lok Sabha polls, the Supreme Court has issued directives to the rival factions within the NCP, led by Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar, urging compliance regarding the use of symbols, party names, and disclaimers in their respective campaign materials.