Allies Want To Let Sunetra Pawar Win Baramati Bypoll, Congress Not On Board: Sources

The Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP has already declared it will not field a candidate against Sunetra Pawar.

04 Apr 2026, 15:13 · www.ndtv.com

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The Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP has already declared it will not field a candidate against Sunetra Pawar
Uddhav Thackeray's party is also leaning towards doing the same thing
The Congress has hinted it will put up a candidate

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Mumbai:

The bypoll for the Baramati Assembly seat, necessitated by the death of Ajit Pawar in a plane crash in January, has exposed another faultline in the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra.

The Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP has already declared it will not field a candidate against Sunetra Pawar, Ajit Pawar's wife, who took over as the president of the NCP and the deputy chief minister after his death. Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) has also indicated that it is unlikely to field a candidate in the NCP bastion out of respect for Ajit Pawar.

Taking a different stance, however, is Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray's ally, the Congress, which has hinted it will contest Baramati as well as Rahuri, which fell vacant after the death of BJP MLA Shivajirao Kardile.

Sources told NDTV the emerging position within Uddhav Thackeray's camp is based on feedback from local leaders in Baramati and Pune district, who have advised against contesting. After a recent ground review, this sentiment has been conveyed to the leadership, with a formal announcement expected soon.

Sunetra Pawar's recent visit to Delhi is being seen as an effort to consolidate broader support and signal seriousness around her candidature. This is also being seen as significant in light of speculation about the NCP factions reuniting, a topic that continues to come up from time to time.

The Sharad Pawar-led NCP faction, the sources said, has also conveyed its displeasure over the Congress's decision to contest Baramati, viewing it as a break from alliance understanding in a seat considered politically sensitive and symbolically important. For the NCP (SP), a divided opposition in Baramati risks diluting the larger anti-BJP narrative the alliance seeks to project nationally.

"The two places are traditional bastions of NCP (SP). We decided to not contest from those two seats. We'll discuss this with the Congress," said NCP (SP) state President Shashikant Shinde.

The byelections in both constituencies will be held on April 23 and the results will be announced on May 4.

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