Pune: Ajit Pawar Defeats Nephew Yugendra Pawar, Retains Baramati Seat for 8th Consecutive Time

Reported By Varad Bhatkhande
Baramati, 23rd November 2024: With a lead of over 50,000 votes, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra Ajit Pawar has secured his eighth consecutive term as the MLA from Baramati constituency. This time, however, he faced a challenge from within his own family, as his nephew Yugendra Pawar contested against him. Despite expectations of a close contest, with some predicting Ajit Pawar’s loss due to anti-incumbency and a sympathy wave for Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar has comfortably won.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Ajit Pawar fielded his son Parth Pawar in Maval, but he lost. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Ajit Pawar’s wife, Sunetra Pawar, contested against his cousin Supriya Sule but lost. Many speculated that this would be Ajit Pawar’s time to lose, but he has won by a lead of 53,502 votes, as of 1:20 PM.

Baramati, with a total of 3.75 lakh voters, saw a high voter turnout of 71.03%, adding to the uncertainty about who would win. However, despite multiple rounds of counting still to go, Ajit Pawar has emerged as the mathematical winner.

In 2023, Ajit Pawar split the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and rebelled against his uncle Sharad Pawar, joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Mahayuti government as Deputy Chief Minister. Following that, Ajit Pawar faced several setbacks, including his wife’s defeat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Baramati. After her loss, many of his close aides switched allegiances. In this election, Sharad Pawar fielded his grandnephew and Ajit Pawar’s nephew, Yugendra Pawar, against Ajit Pawar. Initially, Ajit Pawar did not announce his candidacy, stating that he was no longer interested. However, he eventually entered the race. Despite the competitive campaign from both sides and the expectation of a tight battle in Baramati, Ajit Pawar has won decisively against his nephew.