03 April,2024 04:13 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Prakash Ambedkar/ X
The Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) declared on Tuesday that it will support Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) nominee Supriya Sule in the Baramati constituency for the forthcoming Lok Sabha Elections 2024.
Rekha Thakur, the VBA state president, has introduced five party candidates representing diverse castes for the Lok Sabha Elections 2024. Among them is Vasant More, who just left Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). The other nominees are: Avinash Bosikar (Nanded), Balasaheb B. Ugale (Parbhani), Afsar Khan (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar), and Mangaldas Bagul (Shirur), reported IANS.
Thakur told IANS that despite media speculation, the VBA will not field a candidate in Baramati (Pune district). Instead, they would support NCP (SP) Working President Supriya Sule, who is running against Sunetra A. Pawar, the wife of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, in the constituency.
Sunetra vs Supriya face off in Baramati
After decades of one-sided battle, Baramati is set to witness an intense contest between 'bhabhi' Sunetra Pawar and Supriya Sule. This marks the first time that the members of the Pawar clan have stood against each other in electoral politics.
NCP, founded by Sharad Pawar, split in 2023 when Ajit Pawar left his uncle's side and joined the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government along with other leaders including Praful Patel and Chhagan Bhujbal.
Sitting MP from Baramati and NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule on March 31 alleged that the fight between her and her sister-in-law in Baramati is BJP's design to politically finish off political heavyweight Sharad Pawar.
Sule told PTI that Sunetra is the wife of his elder brother and she is regarded as a 'mother'. She was quoted as saying, "So this ploy (to pit Sunetra against Sule) is against the Pawar family and Maharashtra. The BJP wants to finish off Pawar Saheb. I am not saying this. A senior BJP leader made such a remark after visiting Baramati."
The NCP MP, per PTI report, further said, "The BJP does not have capable candidates so it has resorted to this dirty politics. The move to nominate Sunetra Pawar shows it is not for development. It is a fight only to finish off Pawar Saheb."
