MUMBAI: NCP(SP) leader Supriya Sule on Thursday asserted that Baramati will no longer witness a “Pawar vs Pawar” political contest.
The NCP (SP) Lok Sabha MP said she would not contest against any member of the Pawar family in Baramati. Instead, she would explore another constituency for future elections. Baramati had seen two intense political contests in recent elections. In the Lok Sabha polls, Supriya Sule faced Sunetra Pawar, while in the state Assembly elections, Yugendra Pawar contested against Ajit Pawar.
Sule’s statement gains significance in the context of Sharad Pawar’s recent family dinner held at his Pune residence.
The meeting was attended by members of the estranged Ajit Pawar faction, including Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, Parth Pawar and Jay Pawar.
Highly placed sources indicated that the Pawar family has decided to avoid contesting against each other, as internal rivalries weaken their political influence and create space for opponents. “Both state and national politics are going through a challenging phase, especially for smaller parties. It is therefore better for the Pawar family to remain united rather than divided,” said a source on condition of anonymity.
The source added that future political decisions within the family will be taken amicably rather than in a high-handed manner that could strain relationships. “Power-sharing within the family will be handled peacefully, even if members belong to different ideological parties. Political differences should not lead to personal or familial conflicts,” the source said.
Notably, during the Baramati bypoll, both Supriya Sule and Rohit Pawar extended support to Sunetra Pawar’s candidature and actively campaigned for her. Sharad Pawar, who was recuperating in Mumbai at the time, also spoke to Congress leadership and urged them to withdraw their candidate from the contest.