Ahead of the April 23 bypoll in Baramati, NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar on Monday appealed to all potential candidates to refrain from contesting, urging that the election be held unopposed.
The by-election was necessitated following the death of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash on January 28.
His wife, Sunetra Pawar, is set to enter the fray and will file her nomination around 12:30 pm in Baramati, accompanied by senior leaders from the NCP and BJP.
Earlier in the day, she visited a Hanuman temple in Kanheri and paid tribute at Ajit Pawar’s cremation site. She was accompanied by her sons, Jay and Parth Pawar, along with party leaders.
In a post on X, Rohit Pawar reiterated his appeal, stating that an uncontested election would be a mark of respect.
He added that if a contest does take place, voters in Baramati would treat it as if Ajit Pawar himself were contesting and ensure a decisive victory for Sunetra Pawar.
While the NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT) have expressed support for an unopposed bypoll, the Congress has announced Akash More, a state unit secretary, as its candidate.
His nomination came shortly after Sunetra Pawar reportedly reached out to the state Congress leadership seeking support for an uncontested election.
(With inputs from PTI)