"I Want the Pawar Family to Come Together Again": Chhagan Bhujbal

A day after the third phase of general elections in the country, Cabinet Minister and senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal voiced his desire for the Pawar family to come together once again. Speaking to reporters during a visit to Yeola in Nashik, Bhujbal said, "I am happy that the polling for Baramati concluded because in the Pawar family, there was a war of allegations and counter-allegations over the election. It wasn't a pleasant picture. I want the Pawar family to come together again."

Bhujbal highlighted concerns about the low voter turnout in Baramati, saying, "The media should pay attention to the low turnout in Baramati. It's regrettable that elections became a matter within the Pawar family.”

Reflecting on historical conflicts within political families, Bhujbal noted, "We have worked with them for the last 30 years. In the past, members of the Pawar family have also had conflicts among themselves. Similar conflicts have occurred in the Gandhi family as well."

Read Also | Lok Sabha Elections 2024: EC Orders Repolling at Four Booths in MP's Betul After EVMs Damaged in Bus Fire

Bhujbal also addressed efforts towards a grand alliance in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, stating, "We are making sincere efforts for the grand alliance candidates in the Lok Sabha elections."

Regarding past political dynamics, Bhujbal mentioned the missed opportunity for the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to secure the chief minister's post in 2004 despite winning the maximum number of seats in the state. "What made Sharad Pawar lose that opportunity is still a mystery. We asked Pawar Saheb about it, but he refused to answer," Bhujbal added.

One of the most closely watched contests in India's ongoing election season is the battle for the Pawar bastion of Baramati in Maharashtra. Baramati is among the 11 constituencies in Maharashtra that went to the polls in the third phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024 on May 7. Supriya Sule, the three-time Member of Parliament from Baramati, is seeking re-election. Sule is up against her sister-in-law, Sunetra Pawar. In a first for the over 2.3 million electorate of Baramati, the three-time MP and daughter of Sharad Pawar, Supriya Sule, is facing off against Sunetra Pawar, the wife of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who split from the National Congress Party (NCP) to join the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena alliance last year.

The competition in Baramati is as much about the Pawars as it is about power. The lower voter turnout in Tuesday's polling for the Baramati parliamentary seat has intensified the contest between three-term MP Supriya Sule and Sunetra Pawar, both claiming victory. Despite a highly contested battle, Baramati recorded a turnout of 59.50%, compared to 61.7% in 2019 and 58.83% in 2014, as per data released by the Election Commission of India.