Maharashtra Election 2024: After Lok Sabha polls, Baramati braces for another Pawar vs Pawar face-off

The Pawar family’s divide deepened last year when Ajit, citing concerns over Sharad Pawar’s leadership, broke away with a majority of MLAs to support the Eknath Shinde-led BJP-Shiv Sena government.

Less than six months after the 18th Lok Sabha elections, Baramati -  Maharashtra's Pawar family stronghold - is once again bracing for an internal political face-off.

The Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction, NCP (SP)), on October 24, released its first list of candidates for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections, featuring 32-year-old Yugendra Pawar, who is set to challenge his uncle, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, from the Baramati Assembly seat. As the son of Shrinivas Pawar, Ajit’s younger brother, Yugendra represents the latest generational shift in the Pawar family, with NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar’s backing.

Yugendra, an alumnus of Northeastern University in Boston, has been preparing for his political debut under Sharad Pawar’s guidance and is said to be close to his grand-uncle. In the recent Lok Sabha election, Yugendra Pawar campaigned for his aunt, Supriya Sule, the daughter of Sharad Pawar. Further demonstrating his political ambitions, Yugendra also led the NCP (SP)’s Swabhiman Yatra from Baramati in September.

The high-profile contest between Supriya Sule, Sharad Pawar’s daughter, and Ajit Pawar’s wife, Sunetra, in the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year saw Sule claim victory, further intensifying the family feud since Ajit’s 2023 decision to join the Mahayuti government coalition.

The NCP (SP) is contesting in alliance with the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which includes Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT). Under the MVA’s seat-sharing formula, each party will field candidates in 85 constituencies. Ajit Pawar’s faction, meanwhile, is aligned with the ruling Mahayuti coalition, comprising the BJP, NCP, and Shiv Sena under Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s leadership. Both coalitions are finalising their candidate lists for Maharashtra’s 288-seat assembly.

For Ajit Pawar’s faction, the upcoming Assembly election is a crucial opportunity to recover from a disappointing Lok Sabha performance earlier this year. Addressing reporters early this week, Ajit Pawar downplayed concerns over Yugendra’s challenge, citing Baramati’s continued support. "The people of Baramati have always backed me. I have served them diligently," Ajit told reporters, pointing to his 1.65 lakh-vote victory margin in the previous assembly election. Ajit is set to file his nomination on October 28, underscoring his faith in Baramati’s loyalty and the development initiatives he has undertaken for the constituency.

Ajit Pawar has held the Baramati Assembly seat since 1991, long before the formation of the NCP. Back then, both he and his uncle, Sharad Pawar, were key figures in the Congress. It was only in 1999, following a split over issues related to party leadership and ideology, that Sharad Pawar established the NCP, taking Ajit along and making Baramati the epicenter of their political influence in Maharashtra. Nevertheless, the family’s divide deepened last year when Ajit, citing concerns over Sharad Pawar’s leadership, broke away with a majority of MLAs to support the BJP-Shiv Sena government led by Eknath Shinde.

With the Maharashtra Assembly elections set for November 20 and results to be announced on November 23, Baramati stands as the focal point of a high-stakes political battle.