On Sunetra Pawar’s poll day, Jay’s 2029 claim and Rohit’s counter revive talk of another Pawar vs Pawar battle

NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar alleged that forces within the ruling alliance were encouraging the prospect of another “Pawar versus Pawar” contest in Baramati with the intention of weakening the family’s long-standing political influence in the constituency.

PUNE: Fresh speculation over who will represent Baramati in the 2029 assembly election triggered political sparring on Thursday, with leaders from both factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) weighing in on the possibility of another contest involving members of the influential Pawar family.

On Sunetra Pawar’s poll day, Jay’s 2029 claim and Rohit’s counter revive talk of another Pawar vs Pawar battle

NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar alleged that forces within the ruling alliance were encouraging the prospect of another “Pawar versus Pawar” contest in Baramati with the intention of weakening the family’s long-standing political influence in the constituency.

His remarks came amid the ongoing voting for the Baramati bypoll, necessitated after the death of former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash earlier this year. The ruling alliance has fielded his wife and current NCP chief Sunetra Pawar from the seat.

Speaking after casting his vote, Rohit Pawar referred to recent electoral contests in Baramati that saw members of the same family pitted against one another. He said that the people of Baramati did not favour such internal battles, but indicated that a similar situation could emerge again in 2029 if Ajit Pawar’s son, Jay Pawar, contested from the NCP while Yugendra Pawar was fielded by the Sharad Pawar-led faction.

“In both the Lok Sabha (LS) and assembly elections, Baramati witnessed contests within the Pawar family despite people not wanting them. If Jay contests from their side and Yugendra from ours, another such contest could happen,” Rohit Pawar said.

Without naming the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) directly, Rohit Pawar claimed that some leaders aligned with the ruling alliance (Mahayuti) were keen on such a showdown because they wanted to dismantle the political legacy built in Baramati by Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar. Rohit Pawar also claimed that (late) Ajit Pawar had wanted a reconciliation between the two rival NCP factions, suggesting that a merger could have altered Maharashtra’s political future. According to Rohit Pawar, had Ajit Pawar remained alive and reunited the rival factions, he could have emerged as a strong contender for the chief minister’s post in 2029.

Earlier in the day, Jay Pawar added to the speculation by saying that local party workers and supporters wanted him to contest from Baramati in the next assembly election but he would continue to work for the party and serve the constituency as an ordinary worker for now.

The comments from both sides drew a sharp response from (late) Ajit Pawar’s younger brother, Shrinivas Pawar, who dismissed the discussion around the 2029 assembly election as premature. “There is no reason to discuss an election that is still years away. Everyone may have their own opinions, but such conversations are unnecessary at this stage,” Shrinivas Pawar said.

Baramati has remained at the centre of Maharashtra’s politics for decades and recent elections have intensified the split within the Pawar family. In the 2024 LS election, Sunetra Pawar contested against sitting MP Supriya Sule from the Sharad Pawar-led faction and lost. Months later, the assembly election witnessed (late) Ajit Pawar facing his nephew, Yugendra Pawar, in a high-stakes family battle which Ajit Pawar won by a margin of more than one lakh votes.

Ajit Pawar’s younger brother, Shrinivas Pawar, also weighed in on the growing speculation around the future political leadership of Baramati and the possibility of another contest within the Pawar family in the 2029 assembly election.

Responding to questions about recent remarks made by Rohit Pawar and Jay Pawar, Shrinivas Pawar asked both to refrain from giving statements on this issue. “Everyone has their own views. Rohit has his opinion and Jay has his aspirations. (Late) Ajit dada used to say that Jay should stay away from active politics for the time being, but perhaps after seeing the public support and expectations, he has developed an interest,” Shrinivas Pawar said.

Shrinivas Pawar added that there is nothing wrong in Jay Pawar aspiring to enter electoral politics, given that he is (late) Ajit Pawar’s son. Shrinivas Pawar also indicated that there is a possibility that Sunetra Pawar may step aside by 2029, paving the way for Jay Pawar to contest from Baramati. “It appears possible that Sunetra Vahini may step back in 2029 and Jay could come forward,” Shrinivas Pawar said.

Asked about Rohit Pawar’s suggestion that Yugendra Pawar may contest against Jay Pawar in future, Shrinivas Pawar said that the decision would ultimately depend on the leadership of the respective political parties.

“Yugendra belongs to the NCP (SP) faction while Jay is with the NCP. They are in different parties now. There were discussions earlier about a possible merger between the two factions, and everyone knows about those developments. At present, things seem to have stalled and both sides are working separately. But politics can change, so what happens in 2029 remains to be seen,” Shrinivas Pawar said.

As to why talks of a merger between the rival NCP factions had slowed down, Shrinivas Pawar suggested that the political situation had changed significantly after Ajit Pawar’s death. “(Late) Ajit dada had complete control over the party and he could take firm decisions on his own. After him, the situation is different. The children are still young and Vahini is new to leadership. Senior leaders in the party may now be influencing decisions collectively,” Shrinivas Pawar said. He added that the party and the family are still coping with a major emotional and political transition. “It has not even been three months since dada passed away. The family and the party have gone through major changes. Parth became an MP, Vahini is now likely to become an MLA and she is also deputy chief minister. It will take time for everyone to settle. Whether future decisions will reflect (late) Ajit dada’s thinking or take a different direction will only become clear with time,” Shrinivas Pawar said.

On Rohit Pawar’s claim that the people of Baramati did not want another ‘Pawar versus Pawar’ contest and that the BJP was encouraging such a scenario, Shrinivas Pawar said that leaders from within the family should instead try to resolve their differences internally. “If everyone knows that people do not want such a contest, then members of the Pawar family should sit together and arrive at an understanding. There is little point in blaming the BJP. If you believe someone is trying to create divisions, then making such statements publicly is also not right,” Shrinivas Pawar said.

Asked whether Rohit Pawar himself could be interested in contesting from Baramati in future, Shrinivas Pawar said that only Rohit Pawar could answer that question. “We cannot know what is in his mind. Time will decide that,” Shrinivas Pawar said.

Asked about Rohit Pawar’s increasing visits to Baramati in recent months, Shrinivas Pawar said, “Yes, I have observed that his visits have increased. It is possible he may be taking greater responsibility for looking after Sharad Pawar Saheb’s constituency. That could be one reason.”