Ticket to Sunetra a ploy to ‘finish off’ Pawar: Supriya Sule

A day after the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) fielded Sunetra Pawar, wife of deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, from the Baramati Lok Sabha (LS) constituency, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP called it the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) ploy to politically ‘finish off’ the founder of the original NCP.

Baramati, a bastion of the Pawar family for nearly four decades, is set for a high-profile battle after the Ajit Pawar-led NCP’s announcement of Sunetra Pawar as a candidate. Sunetra Pawar, 60, is set to lock horns with Supriya Sule, 54, three-time sitting member of parliament and daughter of Sharad Pawar, making it a Pawar-versus-Pawar battle in the aftermath of last year’s split in the original NCP wherein Ajit Pawar sided with the ruling BJP - Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena dispensation along with his loyalists. Reacting to Sunetra’s nomination, Sule on Sunday said that the fight between her sister-in-law and her in the Baramati constituency is the BJP’s design to politically ‘finish off’ NCP founder Sharad Pawar. “The move to nominate Sunetra shows that it is not for development. It is a fight only to finish off Pawar saheb,” Sule said during her campaign in Ambegaon which falls under the Baramati constituency that goes to polls in the third phase on May 7.

While the contest in Baramati is between Sunetra and Sule, observers are seeing it as the rivalry between Ajit Pawar and his uncle Sharad Pawar, who, too, has been touring the constituency and holding meetings with various groups so as to pull out all stops for his daughter.

Sule further said that the duel within the Pawar family playing out in the LS polls will not dent her respect for Sunetra as the latter is her elder brother’s wife and like a mother to her. “BJP and its leaders come to Baramati and say they want to defeat Sharad Pawar in Baramati. The BJP is not interested in the development of the constituency but wants to divide our family by fielding one against the other,” Sule said. Sule further said, “It is a ploy (to pit Sunetra against Sule). The BJP wants to finish off Pawar saheb. I am not saying this. A senior BJP leader made such a remark after visiting Baramati.” Sule was referring to BJP leader Chandrakant Patil’s remarks earlier this month, where he urged BJP cadres to take revenge on Sharad Pawar by voting for the candidate that Ajit Pawar would field from the Baramati LS seat.

Rohit Pawar, NCP leader and member of the Pawar family, claimed that it was already certain that Sule would contest from Baramati. “As such, it is the BJP’s plan to make it a Pawar-versus-Pawar battle even as it will not work,” he said.

BJP leader Pravin Darekar said, “Sule is trying to leverage the situation by making it an emotional issue but she will not succeed in this.”