Maharashtra bypolls: Sunetra Pawar wins bypoll by record 2.18 lakh votes

Mumbai: Continuing the Pawar family's supremacy in the hustling-bustling tehsil-town of Baramati, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP National President Sunetra Pawar won the by-election by securing a record 2.18 lakh votes. 

This is the vote secured ever for a candidate in a legislative assembly election in India since independence.

The landslide win consolidates her position in the NCP—with the party describing the win as the commencement of ‘Sunetra-parv’. 

For the last six decades, the Pawar family has dominated politics in Baramati, which is part of the Pune district. 

Sunetra Pawar was pitted against 22 other candidates including independents and smaller parties. 

Sunetra Pawar got 2,18,969 votes. 

Her winning margin was 2,18,034 votes.

All other candidates lost their deposits, and none of them could breach the 1,000 vote mark.

Baramati, located around 100 km from Pune and about 250 km from Mumbai, has been a bastion of the Pawar family, nurtured by NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar and his nephew Ajit Pawar, who in the June-July 2023 revolt took control of the party founded by his uncle.

The by-elections were necessitated by the death of the then NCP national president Ajit Pawar (66), an eight-time MLA of Baramati and six-time Deputy Chief Minister.

Ajit Pawar, popularly known as Ajit Dada, died in a plane crash on 28 January while the Learjet business jet in which he was on board crashed while landing at the Baramati airfield.

"The election results of Baramati especially reflect the trust, love, and sentiments people had for Ajit Dada, which have been expressed through this voting…the trust, love, and support you have shown me is of immense value to me,” said Sunetra Pawar, a former Rajya Sabha member.

Sunetra Vahini or Sunetra Tai, as she is popularly called, urged her supporters not to take out any victory processions or rallies and not to spare gulal.

NCP Working President Praful Patel posted on X:  “Heartfelt congratulations to NCP National President and Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pavar, on securing a record victory margin in the Baramati Assembly by-election”. 

She thanked the ruling Maha Yuti as well as the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi for the support extended to her in the by-election.

“This was the first election in Baramati after the demise of Ajit Dada. The absence of his guidance and presence is felt acutely today; this victory is not merely a political triumph for me, but a true tribute to the revered Dada's work and cherished memories. The contributions Ajit Dada made to Maharashtra and Baramati, his deep bond with the people, and his vision for development remain etched in everyone's hearts even today. It is his thoughts and values that give me the strength to move forward. I am fully aware that this victory entails the responsibility of carrying forward his dreams and legacy,” she said.

Sunetra Pawar reiterated the NCP’s commitment to the ‘Shiv-Shahu-Phule-Ambedkar’ ideology and the path shown by late Deputy Prime Minister Yashwantrao Chavan and Ajit Pawar.

NCP (SP) Baramati MP Supriya Sule said: “This election was about memories of Dada. By sending Vahini to the Legislative Assembly, the people of Baramati have expressed their love for Dada. This love of theirs is an invaluable treasure for all of us”.

The previous national record

The earlier record for the highest margin was held by BJP’s Sunil Kumar Sharma, who won the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly election by securing 2,14,835 votes - 67 per cent of the total votes polled from the Sahibabad seat. Sharma got 2,62,741 votes as against 1,12,056 secured by Congress candidate Amarpal Sharma.

The previous Maharashtra record

In the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections, the late Ajit Pawar won the Baramati seat by a record-setting margin of 1,65,265 votes. Ajit Pawar secured 1,95,641 while BJP’s Gopichand Padalkar got 30,376 votes. 

Late MLA’s son win Rahuri

In the by-elections to Rahuri in Ahilyanagar district, former MLA Shivajirao Kardile’s son Akshay Kardile won defeating Govind Mokate of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP). Kardile secured 1,40,093 votes defeating Mokate who got 27,506 votes. The contest featured seven candidates, including a nominee from the Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA). The bypoll was necessitated by the passing of veteran BJP MLA Shivaji Kardile last year. The BJP fielded his son Akshay Kardile who managed to win on expected lines. “It was more of an emotion than an election. People should show the same love for me as they did for late Kardile Saheb,” he said.

The Rahuri constituency, located in Ahilyanagar district (earlier Ahmednagar), has long been a stronghold for the Kardile family with Shivajirao Kardile winning the seat thrice - Rahuri as a BJP member and earlier before delimitation, Ahmednagar North three times - twice as an Independent and once with Sharad Pawar-led undivided NCP.