Sunetra Pawar seeks Uddhav Thackeray’s support for Baramati bypoll

According to NCP leaders, Pawar called Thackeray soon after the Congress announced it would field a candidate in the bye-election.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief and Maharashtra deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar on Saturday reached out to Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray, seeking his support for her candidature in the upcoming Baramati assembly bypoll, even as the Congress signalled its intent to contest the seat.

Sunetra Pawar, wife of late deputy CM Ajit Pawar, took oath as deputy CM of Maharashtra on Sunday at the Lok Bhavan in Mumbai. (HT Photo)

Thackeray told her that he would discuss the matter within his party before taking a decision, people aware of the conversation said.

According to NCP leaders, Pawar called Thackeray soon after the Congress announced it would field a candidate in the bye-election, in which she is contesting as the NCP nominee. The seat fell vacant following the death of her husband and former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash in Baramati on January 28. The bypoll is scheduled for April 23.

Pawar is aiming to win the bypoll unopposed, and her outreach to Thackeray is seen as the first step in that direction, with similar appeals likely to be made to other parties, including the Congress. On Friday, state Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal announced that the party would field a candidate in the Baramati by-election.

Baramati has long been a stronghold of the Pawar family, having been represented by NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar for six terms, followed by Ajit Pawar, who won the seat eight times.