Baramati bypolls: Congress fields Akash More against Sunetra Pawar

Mumbai: The crucial bye-elections to Maharashtra’s prestigious Baramati seat will not be unopposed as expected as Congress has fielded Akash More against Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar - a move that widened the rift within the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi-I.N.DI.A. opposition bloc and earned the ire of ruling BJP-led Maha Yuti.

This is the first time in nearly three decades that the Congress will contest from Baramati.

Since the formation of the Democratic Front in 1999 and formation of the Maha Vikas Aghadi in 2019, the undivided NCP has contested elections from Baramati.

Following the split of the NCP in June-July 2023, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) contested the 2024 Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha polls as part of the MVA.

More than half a dozen candidates are in fray in Pune’s Baramati seat, which over six decades have been the stronghold of the Pawar-family.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, who is the Leader of the Oppsotiin in the Lok Sabha, approved the name of More, an advocate by profession.

“Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, has approved the candidature

of Akash Vishwanath More as Congress candidate for the ensuing bye-election to the Legislative Assembly of Maharashtra from 201 - Baramati Constituency,” AICC general secretary K C Venugopal said in a statement on Sunday evening.

The polls has been necessitated because of death of the then NCP national president and six-time deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, who was an eight-time MLA.

Sunetra Pawar and Akash More will file their nomination on Monday, the last day for filing papers.

Sunetra Pawar will be accompanied by her sons Parth and Jay, NCP National President Praful Patel and party’s Maharashtra unit President and Raigad MP Sunil Tatkare when she file the papers in Baramati.

On the other hand, state Congress President Harshvardhan Sapkal will accompany More.

The Congress has claimed support of Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi and Mahadev Jankar-headed Rashtriya Samaj Paksha.

So far, around a dozen nominations have been received including from Bigg Boss Marathi Season 2 contestant Abhijeet Bichukale, a highly controversial personality, who originally hails from the Satara district.

In a related development, OBC leader Prof Laxman Hake - one of the key persons to protested against the Maratha reservation - has decided to file papers from Baramati.

The move of the Congress, which leads the opposition INDIA bloc at the Centre, has not got down well within the Maharashtra MVA allies - Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT).

While from the opposition camp, NCP (SP) has declared that it would not put up candidate and have requested the elections to be unopposed, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) was of the opinion for not putting up candidate given the relations between the two families.

Earlier in the day, Shiv Sena chief spokesperson and Rajya Sabha member said that Thackeray had spoken to NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar, the Pawar-family patriarch, on the issue.

“Sunetra Pawar is contesting the elections along with the BJP…this was discussed and the final decision rests with Thackeray…we must also note that Thackeray had every good relations with Ajit Pawar,” he said, adding that elections are a matter of respect and honour and it is wrong to urge anyone not to contest.

During the day, Sunetra Pawar spoke over phone with Maharashtra Congress President Harshavardhan Sapkal.

“We have requested that the elections be unopposed,” said Tatkare.