NCP (SP) Leaders Make Emotional Appeal to Congress Over Baramati Bypoll
Senior leaders of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction), including party chief Sharad Pawar, working president Supriya Sule, and MLA Rohit Pawar, made a significant appeal on Thursday. They urged the Indian National Congress to withdraw its candidate against NCP president and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar in the upcoming Baramati assembly bypoll.
Background of the Bypoll and the Pawar Family Stronghold
The bypoll was necessitated by the tragic death of former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP chief Ajit Pawar in a plane crash in January. Ajit Pawar had held the Baramati seat, which has been a Pawar family stronghold since the 1960s, winning it consecutively since 1991. Sunetra Pawar is the wife of the late Ajit Pawar.
Sharad Pawar, who founded the NCP and led it for 24 years before his nephew Ajit Pawar split the party in July 2023, acknowledged that the final decision rests with the Congress. However, he strongly urged the party to withdraw its candidate. "Congress is a national party, and we cannot direct it to withdraw its candidate," Pawar stated. "However, the Baramati seat fell vacant due to a tragic accident that took away an efficient leader from Maharashtra. If asked, I would suggest that it would be appropriate for Congress to make this bypoll unopposed." He made these remarks during a press interaction in Baramati.
Congress Candidate and Opposition Alliance Dynamics
The Congress, which is part of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance along with the NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT), has fielded advocate Akash More for the April 23 bypoll. This creates a complex political scenario within the opposition bloc.
Supriya Sule, who is Sharad Pawar's daughter and Ajit Pawar's cousin, echoed her father's sentiments. "Ajit dada had earlier worked closely with the Indian National Congress and always maintained cordial relations with your party," Sule said. "An uncontested election in Baramati would be a true tribute to him. I humbly appeal to the Congress to withdraw its candidate and help ensure the bypoll is held unopposed."
It is noteworthy that both Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar were previously members of the Congress before Sharad Pawar founded the NCP in June 1999, adding historical context to the current appeal.
Congress's Conditional Response and Political Allegations
In a related development, NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar, who is Sharad Pawar's grandnephew, met with Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal. During this meeting, he urged the Congress to withdraw its nominee to facilitate the unopposed election of Sunetra Pawar, who is his aunt.
The Congress has responded with a condition. The party has declared that it would withdraw from the contest only if a First Information Report (FIR) is registered to investigate Ajit Pawar's death. Opposition parties in Maharashtra have alleged foul play in the incident, noting that both NCP factions were close to a merger at the time of the crash. The proposed reunion has since been called off.
Current Political Standings and Alliances
The NCP (SP) has officially announced that it will not contest in the Baramati bypoll, further emphasizing its stance on the matter. On the other hand, the Sunetra Pawar-led NCP is part of the ruling Mahayuti alliance, which includes the Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena.
This situation highlights the intricate political dynamics in Maharashtra, where familial ties, historical alliances, and current political strategies intersect. The appeal from NCP (SP) leaders underscores their desire to honor Ajit Pawar's legacy through an unopposed election, while the Congress's conditional response reflects ongoing tensions and demands for transparency regarding the circumstances of his death.
