Battle lines being drawn for Ajit Pawar wife vs Supriya Sule in Baramati: Who is Sunetra Pawar?

With the Lok Sabha polls just round the corner, the raging battle between Pawars has reached their home turf – Baramati in Maharashtra’s Pune district.

TheBaramati Lok Sabha seat is currently represented by Supriya Sule, the daughter of NCP founder Sharad Pawar. Recently, a publicity campaign has been launched in the constituency, with Sunetra Pawar, the wife of rebel NCP faction leader and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, making the rounds to meet local party leaders and cadre.

A vehicle bearing an audio visual public address system and photographs of Sunetra and Ajit has also been moving around, raising speculation about Sunetra being pitted against Sule, who is her sister-in-law, in the coming polls.

State NCP chief Sunil Tatkare also indicated that Sunetra might be fielded. “There is a demand and wish of party workers from Baramati to get Sunetra Pawar elected to the Lok Sabha. She has been doing social work in the constituency for long and has been helping her husband handle the responsibility of the area. However, the final decision has to be taken,” he said.

The Baramati seat has been a Pawar family bastion, with Sharad Pawar himself winning the seat six times. Ajit also won the seat in 1991. As Ajit gears up for the Lok Sabha polls for the first time after splitting the party last July, this seat is going to be critical for him.

The BJP has also identified Baramati as one of the 16 “difficult” seats in Maharashtra. This is the seat the ruling Shinde Sena-BJP- Ajit NCP coalition would hope to wrest from the Pawar NCP.

Behind-the scenes role

Sunetra, 60, was born into a political family from the Dharashiv district. She is the sister of former state minister and Lok Sabha MP Padamsinh Patil, who is a close confidant of