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Maharashtra polls: Sharmila Pawar accuses NCP workers of issuing ‘death threats to her son's cadres’
Sharmila Pawar, the mother of NCP (SP) candidate Yugendra Pawar said that a complaint will be filed with the Election Commission regarding the alleged incident.
Maharashtra assembly election 2024: Tension erupted outside a polling booth in Baramati, Maharashtra's Pune district on Wednesday, after Sharmila Pawar, the mother of NCP (SP) candidate Yugendra Pawar, accused workers from the rival NCP faction, led by sitting MLA Ajit Pawar, of “intimidation and death threats”.
Sharmila Pawar alleged that one of their party members had been intimidated by workers from the opposing faction. "When I received the information, I reached the spot and saw that some voter slips bearing the symbol of their (NCP) party were being circulated and our people were being intimidated and given death threats," she told PTI.
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Sharmila Pawar further said that a complaint would be filed with the Election Commission regarding the alleged incident.
Yugendra Pawar, the grandnephew of NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, is contesting against his uncle, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, in a high-profile race in the Pawars' stronghold.
Meanwhile, Kiran Gujar, the election-in-charge for Ajit Pawar's party in Baramati, claimed that Sharmila Pawar, not an election official, had no right to enter the polling station.
"As far as voter slips bearing our party's symbol are concerned, why does the election officer of the polling station not take objection? It shows that when the system is working fairly, you are trying to defame the system," he said.
Gujar also challenged the opposition to prove that his party distributed the slips. Ajit Pawar, who has held the Baramati seat since 1991, denied the allegations, asserting that his party workers followed the election code of conduct.
Maharashtra election 2024: The Baramati tussle
The contest for Baramati is more than just a rivalry between two candidates. It is a battle within a family over a constituency that has long been their stronghold.
Amid the assembly elections, accusations and counter-accusations have flown, with Ajit Pawar promoting a development-focused narrative, while Sharad Pawar appeals to emotions. On the final day of campaigning, Sharad Pawar addressed a rally in support of Yugendra Pawar but refrained from launching any personal attacks on his estranged nephew, Ajit Pawar.
Political analysts speculate that this restraint might be a strategy to leave room for post-election reconciliation or to prevent Ajit Pawar from gaining sympathy votes.
For years, Ajit Pawar, known as Dada in the region, campaigned effortlessly, confident of an easy win. However, the dynamics have shifted this time. From barely campaigning in his family’s stronghold during past elections, Ajit Pawar has made a concerted effort in the 2024 assembly elections, especially after his wife Sunetra Pawar’s defeat to Supriya Sule in the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year.
