Cong withdraws from Baramati by-poll, paves way for Sunetra’s victory

The decision to withdraw its candidate, Akash More, was announced by Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal on Thursday, the deadline for withdrawal of nominations for the by-poll

MUMBAI: After a day of high drama and a few twists, the Congress withdrew its candidate for the Baramati assembly by-election, paving the way for an easy win for deputy chief minister and NCP chief, Sunetra Pawar.

Sunetra Pawar (HT PHOTO)

The decision to withdraw its candidate, Akash More, was announced by Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal on Thursday, the deadline for withdrawal of nominations for the by-poll.

The Congress withdrew from the race after requests from leaders across political parties including NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Pawar herself.

“Considering the long tradition in Maharashtra and respecting the effort and communications made by the NCP leadership and others, we have decided to withdraw our candidate from the Baramati by-poll,” Sapkal said.

He said Pawar met Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday after speaking to him over the phone that same morning, and twice earlier since April 5. She had also spoken to Sapkal on Wednesday, when he made it clear that the Congress would field a candidate in Baramati in the 2029 assembly elections.

Although confident of winning, the NCP was wary of conceding even a sizeable vote share to a challenger – a huge embarrassment on home turf.

The Congress’s decision to contest had rattled the NCP as it had secured the backing of the Rashtriya Samaj Paksha (RSP) led by Dhangar leader Mahadev Jankar, and the Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA). The RSP has a strong following in Baramati, which has a substantial Dhangar population.

On Thursday, NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar met Sapkal at his residence and urged him to reconsider the Congress’s decision. He said Ajit Pawar had a good rapport with Congress leaders and, given his work and links with the party, the Congress should withdraw from the race.

Sapkal said that when the state government had not filed an FIR in the state, in a matter involving a prominent leader like Ajit Pawar, why shouldn’t there be a contest? “I respect his views and his party’s policy. However, I still request the Congress, and all the independent candidates who have filed nominations, to withdraw their applications and cooperate in electing Sunetra Kaki unopposed,” Rohit said.

Rohit, a nephew of Ajit Pawar, expressed regret over a statement made by Sunetra’s son, Parth, that the downfall of the Congress was imminent. Parth had also said the NCP would not reach out to anyone for an unopposed win.

Only hours later, a five-member NCP delegation led by minister Makarand Patil met Sapkal at the Congress’s office in Mumbai. The meeting lasted an hour, after which Sapkal announced that the party would withdraw from the contest.

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, who had initially taken a neutral stand, suggested for the first time that the by-election should be held unopposed. “The seat fell vacant because of an accident, in which Maharashtra lost a dutiful leader in the name of Ajit Pawar. Hence, I suggest it would be appropriate to make the Baramati by-poll unopposed,” he said on Thursday.

Sapkal also received a phone call from chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, whose BJP leads the Mahayuti government in which the NCP is a partner. “Following the unfortunate death of Ajit Pawar, I requested Harshwardhan Sapkal to withdraw the nomination as Maharashtra has a tradition of unopposed by-polls in case of the death of a leader. He appeared positive,” Fadnavis told the media.

Among the NCP leaders who spoke to Sapkal on Thursday were Chhagan Bhujbal and Dhananjay Munde. The Congress held out until the afternoon, before bowing out of the race.

Maharashtra NCP president Sunil Tatkare said, “I welcome the decision taken by the Congress with a generous heart.” He claimed they had tried to contact the Congress leadership in Delhi but didn’t succeed. “I, Praful Patel and even Sunetra Vahini (Pawar) personally tried to talk to Kharge ji on the phone but it did not happen. Those who are trying to create a picture that we failed in New Delhi are incorrect.”