Pawarplay in Baramati: Who is ‘Greenhorn’ Sunetra Pawar Who Could Throw Down the Gauntlet to Supriya Sule?

Sunetra Pawar (left) is the sister of former state minister and Lok Sabha MP Padamsinh Patil, who is a close aide of Sharad Pawar. The BJP has identified Baramati as one of the 16 most difficult seats in Maharashtra. (File photo)

The 2024 Lok Sabha elections will see Ajit Pawar contesting for the first time after the split from Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar last year. The political battle between both the Pawars is likely to be carried out in their home turf – Baramati – in Maharashtra’s Pune district this time.

The Baramati Lok Sabha seat is currently represented by Sharad Pawar’s daughter, Supriya Sule. Interestingly, in the past few days, a vehicle with audiovisual public system and posters of Sunetra Pawar, wife of Ajit Pawar, was moving around Baramati, leading to speculations that she might be fielded from the constituency.

While there is no confirmation from the party on the candidate’s name, Ajit Pawar during an address on Friday hinted that the people should elect a “first timer” who would work for the “welfare of your future generations”.

About Sunetra Pawar

Sunetra Pawar, 60, was born into a political family. She is the sister of former state minister and Lok Sabha MP Padamsinh Patil, who is a close confidant of Sharad Pawar. Patil played a key role in establishing the NCP along with Sharad in 1999. His son, Ranajagjisinha Patil is currently BJP MLA from Tuljapur in Dharavshiv district.

Sunetra is known for her social work in Baramati, and runs an NGO called Environmental Forum of India. According to her website, she has worked towards promoting organic farming and the use of green manure. She is a strong advocate of eco-villages in India.

She also serves as a trustee of Vidya Pratishthan, and has been a part of the think tank – the World Entrepreneurship Forum in France since 2011.

According to The Indian Express report, Sunetra visited BJP candidate Kanchan Kul, who contested against Sule in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The Indian Express report also highlighted that Sunetra pushed her elder son, Parth Pawar, to contest the Maval Lok Sabha seat in 2019. His candidature was a bone of contention between the senior and junior Pawar. Sharad Pawar later withdrew from the race as he reportedly said that no more than two members of his family should contest the elections. But his son lost the seat with a margin of more than two lakh votes.

Why Baramati is Important?

Supriya Sule won three Lok Sabha elections from Baramati. Even during the ‘2014 Modi wave’, Sule managed to secure a win for the NCP from the constituency.

The BJP has identified Baramati as one of the 16 “difficult” seats in Maharashtra. It is considered one of the biggest Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, and has over six lakh voters with a mix of urban and rural voters.

From 1996 to 2004, Sharad Pawar has been elected as the MP from Baramati, after him, Sule won the seat from 2009 to 2019. Ajit Pawar won the seat in 1991. He is also the seven-term MLA from Baramati and is the incumbent MLA.

Soon after the NCP split last July, the people of Baramati can also be seen having a divided emotion towards the party. The elderly voters are supporting Sharad ‘Saheb’ Pawar while the younger ones relate to Ajit ‘Dada’ Pawar.