Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Battle for Baramati intensifies as Ajit Pawar books legacy ground forcing Sharad and Supriya to hunt for venue

In what comes as a disruption in a years long tradition, this year, the ground near a canal in Christian Colony in Maharashtra's Baramati town will not witness an assembly of the entire Pawar clan.

For around 40 years, during the concluding election rally for Baramati Lok Sabha and assembly seats, the entire Pawar family would gather for lunch and then head to the ground where Sharad Pawar would address the crowd.

However, this time the cracks in Pawar dynamics has led to a halt in the tradition.

Sharad Pawar's nephew Ajit Pawar has already booked the ground for his wife to hold a concluding rally, as per a report in The Times of India. His wife Sunita Pawar is engaged in a political battle against Pawar's daughter and sitting MP Supriya Sule.

"It is disappointing and we will redefine it in a new way. This tradition of holding a final rally at this ground was started by Sharad Pawar even before Ajit Pawar came into politics," Supriya Sule told the publication emphasising that after the party name and symbol, now even the ground has been taken away.

Meanwhile, a senior NCP functionary told TOI that since they were the real NCP, there was no doubt about who would get the ground.

"There's no question about who will get it (the rally ground), because we are the real NCP, and it has been recognised by the Election Commission as well. The tradition to hold the rally at this ground has been followed for over 40 years by NCP and we will continue it this time too."

Along with this, as per another Pawar-family tradition, all the candidates start their campaign from the Hanuman temple in Kanheri village of Baramati. This has been happening since Pawar first contested an election in 1967.

Adhering to this, Sule kicked off her campaign on Friday from Kanheri. Sunetra Pawar is also expected to start her election campaign today from the same place.

Three-term Lok Sabha member Supriya Sule and her sister-in-law Sunetra Pawar on Thursday filed their nominations for the Baramati Lok Sabha seat in Maharashtra's Pune district on the NCP (SP) and NCP tickets on April 18.

Polling in Baramati, the pocket borough of Pawars, will be held on May 7.

(With PTI inputs)