Maharashtra Elections 2024: With Baramati foray, Ajit Pawar sets up second poll clash within family in a year

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP president Aji Pawar with NCP(SP) president Sharad Pawar. (PTI/File)

Ending weeks of specualtion, the Nationalist Congress Party on Wednesday announced that its national president Ajit Pawar will contest the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections from the family's traditional constituency of Baramati. The development sets stage for another potential clash within the Pawar family barely months after Ajit's wife Sunetra's defeat against Sharad pawar's daughter Supriya Sule in the Baramati Lok Sabha seat in June this year.

While the NCP(AP) has fielded Ajit from the constituency, its rival faction, the NCP (Sharad Chandra Pawar) is readying to field Ajit younger nephew Yugendra Pawar in a battle that could prove to be the decisive word on which faction holds the key to the Pawar family's pocketborough.

"Ajit Pawar will file his nomination paper from Baramati on Monday,” NCP state president Sunil Tatkare said on Wednesday after the party announced its first list of candidates for the coming elections.

Pawar's foray from Baramati comes less than six months after the defeat of his party's candidate Sunetra against NCP(SP) candidate Supriya Sule in the Lok Sabha constituency. Weeks later, Ajit Pawar said that fielding his wife against his cousin was a mistake since it created a fight within the family. Sule had defeated Sunetra by a margin of over 1.58 lakh votes.

The people's verdict gave a huge shot in the arm for the Sharad Pawar faction of the party in the family bastion leading up to the Assembly elections.

Ajit Pawar's recent softening of stand against the Pawar family had led to doubts over his candidacy from the seat. However, with Ajit set to enter the poll fray from the seat, the stage is set for yet another face-off within the family. The NCP(SP), it is learnt, is keen on fielding Yugendra from the seat.

Yugendra Pawar, grand nephew of veteran leader Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar’s nephew, cut his teeth during his aunt Supriya Sule's Lok Sabha campaign and is credited for the huge win. Son of Ajit's brother Shrinivas, Yugendra has always been close to veteran Sharad Pawar.

He is the Treasurer of the Vidya Pratishtan, educational institute founded by Sharad Pawar and also heads the Baramati Taluka Kustigir Parishad. He did his schooling in Mumbai and Pune and later went abroad for higher education studying Finance and Insurance from North Eastern University in Boston.

Meanwhile, NCP leaders said that despite Ajit's candidature, he would be unable to campaign extensively in the Baramati constituency owing to his role as the party chief the requirement that he campaign for other candidates of the party across the state.

Ajit's campaign will be handled by his wife Sunetra and son Jay. He is now expected to hold a rally and a road show while filing nomination and then return only on the last day of campaign, an NCP leader said.