Supriya Sule to take on newcomer in Baramati

In the Baramati constituency that is a bastion of Pawar family, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule is looking for a hat-trick. 

But newcomer Kanchan Kul of the BJP is giving her a tough challenge. Kanchan too is from a political family — she is wife of Rahul Kul, an MLA of Rashtriya Samaj Paksha from Daund.

Kanchan's father is Kumar Raje Nimbalkar, the cousin brother of Sunetra Pawar, the wife of former deputy chief minister and senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar.

Rahul Kul contested the Vidhan Sabha polls from Daund in 2009 but lost. Later, he joined RSP and won the elections in 2014. The Kul family was once close to the Pawars. Rahul's father late Subhash Kul was an NCP MLA. After the latter's death, his mother Ranjana Kul represented Daund.

"I am ready to face any challenge," said Kanchan.

Supriya, however, says that the BJP always attempts to acquire something but they will not succeed at. "I am here for last four years and 11 months, my political opponent has cropped up now," she said.

In 2014, RSP founder Mahadev Jankar gave a tough fight to Supriya. Jankar is now a minister in the Devendra Fadnavis government. But this time, the BJP chose to field Kanchan, the wife of RSP legislator Rahul Kul.

BJP president Amit Shah addressed a rally in Baramati. "It is not a friendly fight... Pawar saheb is a big leader, he was chief minister, he was defence minister, union agriculture minister... only Pawar Saheb knows the art of being in power for 50 years," he said.

Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi is attacking Pawar in his rallies in Maharashtra. Asked about this, Supriya said: "They want to generate headlines by targeting Pawar."

Fact file

Baramati, Maharashtra 

2014 Lok Sabha results
Winner: Supriya Sule (NCP) 
Runner-up: Mahadev Jankar (RSP)
Margin: 69,719

2019 
Supriya Sule (NCP)
Kanchan Kul (BJP)

Total voters: 18,13,543

Polling on: April 23 (Phase 3)