In the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the Baramati seat in Maharashtra is likely to witness a head-to-head contest between Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra Pawar and Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule.
The speculation comes as Ajit Pawar on Friday made an emotional appeal to the voters to elect a first-timer who is surrounded by "experienced people," a report in Hindustan Times said.
Supriya Sule, who is also Ajit Pawar's cousin, is currently the sitting MP from Baramati. Sule has represented Baramati for three consecutive terms since 2009 and was the Rajya Sabha MP before that from 2006 to 2009.
Sunetra Pawar, who hasn't contested elections so far, is likely expected to make her debut in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Sunetra has already started a publicity campaign in the Maharashtra constituency preparing to take on Supriya Sule, according to The Indian Express.
Recently, Ajit Pawar's close aide Virdhawal Jagdale demanded to make Sunetra Pawar a candidate from the Baramati Lok Sabha constituency.
The likely contest comes amid a high-pitched legal contest between the two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), with both camps claiming to be the real one.
While the Election Commission has recognised the Ajit Pawar-led faction as the real NCP and also allotted the party's 'clock' symbol to the group. Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar also ruled that the NCP faction led by the junior Pawar as the real NCP and added that the anti-defection provisions in the Constitution cannot be used to stifle internal dissent.
Sharad Pawar has challenged the decision before the Supreme Court this week and sought an urgent hearing on the matter.
Ajit Pawar, currently a deputy chief minister in Maharashtra, had walked away with a majority of NCP MLAs in July last year and supported the BJP-Shiv Sena government led by Eknath Shinde.