(L-R) Supriya Sule and Sunetra Pawar
Credit: PTI Photos
Mumbai/Baramati: As the high-voltage campaign drew to a close for the 11 seats of Maharashtra on Sunday, veteran politician Sharad Pawar made an emotional appeal in the family bastion of Baramati saying that he would always stand by the people even as his rebel nephew and deputy chief minister left no stones unturned to target him politically.
Baramati in Pune district goes to polls on Tuesday, where the main fight is between Sharad Pawar’s daughter and three-time sitting MP Supriya Sule and Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra Pawar, who is making her political debut.
Both sides, the NCP, now controlled by Ajit Pawar and NCP (SP), spearheaded by Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule, staged a massive show of strength in Baramati.
At the closing rally of NCP (SP), Sharad Pawar’s grand-nephew and Karjat-Jamkhed MLA Rohit Pawar broke down.
However, Ajit Pawar, in the NCP rally, mocked him.
“I will always stand by you all…,” said Sharad Pawar, who was looking weak and facing difficulty in speaking because of health issues, constant travel and intense heat.
The seats going to polls are Baramati, Raigad, Osmanabad, Latur, Solapur, Madha, Sangli, Satara, Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, Kolhapur and Hatkanangale.
Prominent contestants also include descendants of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj - Shahu Chhatrapati Maharaj of the Congress in Kolhapur and BJP's Udayanraje Bhosale in Satara as well Union minister Narayan Rane in Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg.
Around 2.09 crore persons are eligible to vote for 258 candidates in the third phase, for which 23,036 polling centres have been set up. There are 1,07,64,741 male voters, 1,02,26,946 female voters and 929 from the third gender in the third phase.