Baramati Bypoll: Drama continues as Sunetra Pawar files nomination, Congress refuses to back out

NCP leaders said that they are trying to get in touch with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge to get Sunetra Pawar elected unopposed. 

In Maharashtra's political landscape, Congress has caused chaos with a single move. While political parties across the spectrum have decided not to field a candidate against NCP’s Sunetra Pawar with respect to the late Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Congress fielded Akash More from the seat. The seat fell vacant following the tragic death of Ajit Pawar in a plane crash earlier this year. 

The NCP leaders said that they are trying to get in touch with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge to get Sunetra Pawar elected unopposed. NCP working president Praful Patel said, "For the Baramati elections, we tried to discuss with the leaders of all the parties. I have been trying to speak with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge for the past three days. We could not talk, but my message has been sent to his Personal Assistant... I appeal to him that the Congress Party support these elections."

Notably, Sunetra Pawar had also reached out to Shiv Sena UBT and has managed to get the party’s support.

As Sunetra Pawar filed her nomination, she termed the election the toughest of her life. "Praful Patel and I are trying to contact Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge to request him to get this election unopposed. This is the toughest election of my life; such a time should not come to anyone. This election is not mine alone; this is the election of all Baramati people,” she said.

Meanwhile, while the political leaders from Maharashtra have urged the Congress party to withdraw the nomination, Congress candidate Akash More has set out conditions for the same. He demanded that he will withdraw his nomination only if the Maharashtra government lodges an FIR to probe the death of Ajit Pawar. 

Speaking to the media, More stated that he would only reconsider his candidacy if the Maharashtra government registers a formal First Information Report (FIR) and conducts a thorough investigation into the aircraft accident that led to Ajit Pawar’s death.

"We are fighting this battle to protect democracy and oppose the ideology of the BJP...The accident involving Ajit Pawar was not just a coincidence; it is essential to reach the truth. If the government registers an FIR and investigates the matter seriously, only then will I think about withdrawing my nomination,” said More.

Akash More, a lawyer by profession, carries a political legacy; his father previously contested against Ajit Pawar in 2014.

More questioned the government's transparency regarding the incident, emphasising that the Home Ministry should take the death of such a high-ranking leader more seriously.

"The 'Karta Purush' (leading man) of Baramati and Maharashtra is gone. Why isn't there a satisfactory answer or a proper investigation? We may have opposed Ajit Dada politically, but we stood by him regarding the state's development. If a major leader dies in an accident and no FIR is filed, it raises serious questions," More added.

The move by Congress has disrupted the possibility of an unopposed election. Previously, it was expected that the seat might go uncontested after the Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray factions of the Maha Vikas Aghadi expressed support for Sunetra Pawar. After Ajit Pawar’s demise, Suntera Pawar has been made the Deputy Chief Minister in his place. 

As the deadline for withdrawal approaches, all eyes are now on the Mahayuti government to see how they respond to this demand for a criminal investigation into the late leader's fatal accident. (With IANS inputs)