Discontent simmers in Ajit Pawar NCP as it sends Sunetra Pawar to Rajya Sabha after Baramati rout

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra Pawar was named as the party’s nominee for the Rajya Sabha bypoll on Thursday. The development is likely to ruffle many feathers in the NCP even though senior party leader and minister Chhagan Bhujbal claimed that he was not upset over rejection of his claim to this nomination.

Bhujbal was however vocal about his desire for a Rajya Sabha berth. He said, “The party’s core group members have unanimously decided to give the Rajya Sabha seat to Sunetra Pawar. Several people, including me, wanted this seat but after discussions, we have decided that Sunetra Pawar should be sent to the Rajya Sabha. I am not at all upset by this decision. We have taken this decision for the party.”

Replying to a question whether he was disappointed by the NCP leadership’s move, Bhujbal told reporters, “Can you see it on my face?”, adding that “When you work in a party, you have to make certain sacrifices. Interest of the party is paramount.”

The NCP brass also put up a united face as all ministers and senior party leaders joined Sunetra while she filed her nomination during the day. Thursday was the last day for filing nomination for the June 25 bypoll necessitated by senior party leader Praful Patel’s move to vacate his seat after just two years as he got elected for a full six-year term in the Rajya Sabha biennial elections held in February this year.

Sunetra’s bid for a four-year Rajya Sabha term has got the backing of her party’s Mahayuti partners including the BJP and CM Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

With the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) – comprising the Congress, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) –