Maharashtra Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar to file nominations for Baramati bypoll on April 6

The election was necessitated by the death of the late deputy chief minister and NCP national President Ajit Pawar, an eight-time MLA from Baramati.

Mumbai: Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister and NCP national president Sunetra Pawar is set to file nominations on Monday for the 23 April by-election to the Baramati seat even as Congress is planning is ready to put up a candidate against her, a move which has been disapproved by the grand old party’s Maha Vikas Aghadi partners - Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT).

The poll was necessitated by the death of the then deputy chief minister and NCP national President Ajit Pawar, an eight-time MLA from Baramati.

Differences have also cropped up within the Congress over the move to contest polls from Baramati.

Furthermore, it has widened the rift within the crisis-ridden MVA, which is part of the Congress-led INDIA opposition bloc.

“As of now, the message is that we are contesting the elections; we can’t say about tomorrow. The message is that unopposed by-elections should always have a reciprocation,” a senior Congress leader told DH on Saturday.

NCP (SP) working president and Baramati MP Supriya Sule and NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar had earlier announced that they would not be putting up a candidate.

Meanwhile, in a related development, Sunetra Pawar spoke to Thackeray and sought his party’s support for the elections.

However, the possibility of an uncontested election now appears unlikely, as three candidates have already filed their nominations.

“Uddhav Thackeray is an important leader in the state, and there are longstanding relationships between the Pawar and Thackeray families, as well as with others. Discussions have already taken place, and Shiv Sena under Uddhav Thackeray will soon clarify its stand,” said Shiv Sena (UBT) chief spokesperson and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut.