Pawar vs Pawar battle in Maharashtra's Baramati during Assembly polls: Sources

Yugendra Pawar, son of Ajit Pawar's brother, Srinivas Pawar, is likely to be pitted against his uncle by Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP) in the coming Maharashtra Assembly polls.

In Short

• Baramati Assembly Seat to see Ajit Pawar vs Yugendra Pawar in Assembly polls
• Yugendra Pawar's candidature likely to be announced by Sharad Pawar
• Maharashtra Assembly polls on November 20, results on November 23

Maharashtra's high-profile Baramati Assembly Seat is likely to witness a 'Pawar vs Pawar' battle in the coming Assembly polls with state Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar contesting against his nephew and NCP (SP) leader Yugendra Pawar.

According to sources, Yugendra Pawar's candidature will be announced by Sharad Pawar in the coming days.

Yugendra Pawar, son of Ajit Pawar's brother, Srinivas Pawar, is currently the treasurer of Vidya Pratishthan Sanstha, a charitable trust, and oversees the Baramati wrestler's association.

Baramati seat, in Maharashtra's Pune district, has been a stronghold of the Pawar family, with Ajit Pawar representing it from 1993. In the 2019 Assembly polls, Ajit Pawar defeated his BJP rival by a record margin of over 1,65,000 votes.

In 2023, Ajit Pawar administered a split in the NCP and joined the Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti government in Maharashtra.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the Ajit Pawar-led NCP faced a setback when Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) candidate Supriya Sule defeated Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra Pawar by a margin of over 1.5 lakh votes.

Sule received 7,32,312 votes, while Sunetra Pawar managed to bag 5,73,979 votes, the Election Commission data showed.

During the Lok Sabha polls, Yogendra Pawar campaigned for Supriya Sule and showed his commitment to NCP (SP).

"I respect Saheb (Sharad Pawar) and will do as he says. I'll be happy to campaign in the upcoming elections," Yogendra Pawar had said after visiting Supriya Sule's election office during the Lok Sabha polls.

Polls for the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly will be held on November 20, and votes will be counted on November 23. The term of the current assembly will end on November 26.