Ajit Pawar may face his nephew in Baramati Assembly election

Mumbai: After a battle between Nanand and Bhavjay (sisters-in-law) in the Lok Sabha polls, Baramati could witness a contest between Kaka and Putnya (uncle and nephew) within the Pawar family in the upcoming Vidhan Sabha elections in Maharashtra. The NCP (SP) workers have exhorted party founder Sharad Pawar to field his grandnephew Yugendra Pawar to take on rival faction chief Ajit Pawar in the assembly polls.

The demand came when Sharad Pawar, who was touring drought-hit areas of Baramati, on Tuesday also attended a ‘janata darbar’ organised by Yugendra Pawar at the local NCP (SP) office. A group of NCP (SP) workers requested the party supremo to field Yugendra from Baramati, the assembly constituency of Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar.

One of the NCP (SP) supporters said they wanted to “change” the ‘dada’ (of Baramati). Both Ajit and Yugendra are called ‘dada’ (elder brother) in Baramati.

“It is our wish that dada (Yugendra Pawar) should be given candidature,” a party worker said, while another worker asked Pawar senior to “give Yugendra strength” as they supported him.

“Looking at his (Yugendra’s) work during the Lok Sabha elections, he should be given a ticket from Baramati,” said one worker.

Banners have also been put up in Baramti saying “Vaada Toch, Dada Nava” (Same promise but a new Dada).

Replying to workers, Sharad Pawar asked them not to exercise patience.”Do not talk about the candidacy now. The party will soon take a decision. Be patient,” he said.

Yugendra is the son of Ajit Pawar’s younger brother Srinivas Pawar, who sided with uncle Sharad Pawar during the Lok Sabha elections. Srinivas had also criticised Ajit for fielding wife Sunetra against Sharad Pawar’s daughter and incumbent MP Supriya Sule, making it a contest within the family. Yugendra too had campaigned actively for Sule during the polls.

In a contest that caught the attention of the entire country, Sule trounced Sunetra Pawar with a big margin and won the polls from Baramati for the fourth time.

In case Yugendra Pawar contests the Vidhan Sabha polls, he would be another Pawar after Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar, Supriya Sule, Sunetra Pawar and Rohit Pawar, to enter politics. Rohit is a MLA from Karjat-Jamkhed in Nagar district.

The rift in the once close-knit Pawar family came to fore in July last year when Ajit Pawar revolted against Sharad Pawar and joined the BJP-led NDA to become a deputy chief minister alongside BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis in the government headed by Shiv Sena’s Eknath Shinde.