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Ahead of filing nomination on Monday, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP candidate from Baramati assembly seat Ajit Pawar held a roadshow and exuded confidence saying that the people of Baramati will give him a mandate this time as well.
"Everyone has the right to contest. Whenever any candidate is fielded against me I take them as a strong candidate and campaign accordingly. This time too the people of Baramati will elect me and I have faith in them," said Ajit Pawar. Notably, Ajit Pawar's nephew and grandson of Sharad Pawar, Yugendra Pawar, is contesting from the same constituency as the NCP-SP candidate. Baramati will see another Pawar versus Pawar contest after Supriya Sule, daughter of Sharad Pawar, defeated Sunetra Pawar, wife of Ajit Pawar, during the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year. Ajit Pawar split the NCP in June 2023. Speaking to ANI, when asked about contesting the election against his uncle, who has won this seat seven times, Yugendra Pawar said that he feels it is quite sad and quite unfortunate. "I feel it is quite sad, quite unfortunate that this had to come in the family. Not in Vidhan Sabha but it started in Lok Sabha and we were always together and even the incumbent MLA was always under the guidance of the founder of the party and family patriarch Sharad Pawar Sahab. What happened all of India has seen. The party split and the symbol was given to them by the election commission," he told ANI. Yugendra Pawar added, "This was unfortunate but all of us in the family decided that we need to stay with Pawar Sahab because he is the founder of the NCP, he is the patriarch of the family and it is because of him that not only Baramati but everybody around also prospered."Yugendra Pawar feels that the fight against his own uncle won't be tough but won't be easy either. He said, "I don't think it will be tough but I don't even think that it will be easy either. But initially Pawar Sahab was supporting Ajit Pawar, we fondly call him Dada but people of Baramati in large numbers are behind Pawar Sahab and that is what they showed in Lok Sabha. They will show this in the upcoming assembly as well as other elections also. The Maharashtra Assembly elections are scheduled for November 20, with counting for all 288 constituencies set for November 23. In the 2019 assembly elections, the BJP won 105 seats, the Shiv Sena 56, and the Congress 44. In 2014, the BJP secured 122 seats, the Shiv Sena 63, and the Congress 42. (ANI)
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