New Pawar enters Maharashtra politics: Another uncle vs nephew showdown in Baramati

Credit: Yugendra Pawar | X

Maharashtra is likely to witness another uncle vs nephew contest in the upcoming Vidhan Sabha polls. The battleground will once again be Baramati, where Sharad Pawar has hinted at fielding Yugendra Pawar, the nephew of incumbent MLA Ajit Pawar. Yugendra is the seventh member of the Pawar family to enter politics.

After Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar, Supriya Sule, Rohit Pawar, Parth Pawar, and Sunetra Pawar, Yugendra is the latest from the Pawar clan to try his luck in politics. He is the son of Ajit Pawar's brother, Sriniwas Pawar, and CEO of Sharayu Agro. Last Tuesday, Yugendra was seen with Sharad Pawar at a public event in Baramati, marking his first public appearance after the Lok Sabha election results were declared. This event is seen as Sharad Pawar's soft launch of Yugendra into politics. The octogenarian leader had similarly launched his grandson, Rohit Pawar, in 2019. After the Lok Sabha election results that year, Sharad Pawar invited Rohit to sit beside him at a press conference in Mumbai. Rohit was subsequently given the candidacy for the Karjat-Jamkhed assembly seat, which he won.

A few months before the Vidhan Sabha elections, Ajit Pawar launched his son Parth in the Lok Sabha elections. Parth was fielded from the Maval Lok Sabha seat but was defeated and did not contest any elections thereafter. It is said that Sharad Pawar was not very keen on Parth joining politics.

The 2024 Lok Sabha election saw another Pawar family member, Sunetra Pawar, joining politics. Ajit Pawar fielded his wife Sunetra against Supriya Sule, who had been elected as an MP thrice from the Baramati seat. Although the media portrayed the contest as daughter vs. daughter-in-law, it was essentially between Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar. This was the first major election after a rebellion in the NCP, leading to a clash between the two factions. Sunetra Pawar was defeated by Supriya Sule, marking a symbolic victory for Sharad Pawar, who demonstrated his continued influence over Maharashtra's political discourse. The election results were embarrassing for Ajit Pawar, whose faction won only one of the four seats contested, while Sharad Pawar's faction won eight out of ten seats.

The Maharashtra assembly elections are slated to be held in the third or fourth week of October, and Yugendra is likely to be fielded from the Baramati assembly seat. Last Tuesday, the local unit of Sharad Pawar's party urged him to field Yugendra to replace "Ajit Dada" as the legislator from the seat.