Baramati Bypolls: How two phone calls led to last-minute withdrawal of Congress candidature against Sunetra Pawar

Maharashtra Bypolls: In a dramatic move, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis personally reached out to the opposition to negotiate the Baramati Assembly by-election. 

April 9 was the last day for withdrawal of candidature for the Baramati assembly seat bypolls in Maharashtra. The Congress candidate, Akash More, was still in the race and Sunetra Pawar was staring at a massive vote division. The Nationalist Congress Party-SP and both factions of Shiv Sena had already extended support to Sunetra, but the Congress was not flinching. However, two phone calls changed the Congress's approach.

In a dramatic move, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis personally reached out to the opposition to negotiate the Baramati Assembly by-election. CM Fadnavis made a direct phone call to Maharashtra Congress President Harshwardhan Sapkal and reportedly requested the Congress party to withdraw its candidate from the Baramati by-election.

Similarly, the NCP(SP) chief Sharad Pawar spoke to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and discussed the withdrawal of the party's nominee in Baramati.

The Congress high command then accepted the request and Akash More withdrew his candidature an hour before the deadline. 

Congress state president Sapkal explained that a series of high-level emotional appeals from across the political spectrum led to a change in stance. "Ajit Pawar was a tall leader of Maharashtra, and his accidental death has left a deep void in the state's political landscape...While we remain ideologically opposed to the BJP, we cannot ignore the cultural and emotional traditions of Maharashtra,” he added.

Sapkal revealed that several top leaders from the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) had reached out to the Congress leadership to request a withdrawal. 

"Considering Ajit Dada's long association with Congress and the emotional appeal from his family and colleagues, we are withdrawing our candidate, Akash More,” he added. Now, there are 23 candidates in the fray, including Sunetra Pawar. The bypoll, scheduled for April 23, was necessitated by the untimely and tragic demise of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.

Notably, NCP leader Sunetra Pawar has also been reaching out to rival parties to secure their support. Sunetra has notably reached out Shiv Sena-UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray and got their support. Pawar and other NCP-leader met different leaders, including CM Fadnavis. NCP(SP) Legislator Rohit Pawar also met the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee President Harshwardhan Sapkal, urging him to withdraw the party nominee Akash More. Rohit Pawar’s plea also played a crucial role in the Congress candidature withdrawal.