Fight for Baramati: Who is Sunetra Pawar? 'First timer' could battle Supriya Sule for LS seat on NDA ticket

Ajit Pawar is actively promoting his wife Sunetra Pawar's work in Baramati, using a promotional vehicle adorned with her photo and featuring flex banners with images of the couple.

The upcoming Lok Sabha election in Maharashtra's Baramati is expected to witness a significant contest within the Pawar family. Ajit Pawar, in a recent speech, urged constituents to support a "first-timer" surrounded by experienced individuals, sparking speculation that his wife, Sunetra Pawar, might be positioned against his cousin, the incumbent Baramati MP Supriya Sule.

Sunetra Pawar has initiated a publicity campaign in the Baramati constituency, suggesting a potential electoral battle against Supriya Sule, who has been representing Baramati for three consecutive terms since 2009 and was previously a Rajya Sabha member from 2006 to 2009.

Who is Sunetra Pawar?

• Sunetra Pawar, Ajit Pawar's wife, is recognized for her social work in Baramati.

• Sunetra belongs to a political family, with her brother Dr Padamsinh Patil being a senior politician and former minister.

• Her nephew, Ranajagjitsinha Padmsinha Patil, is a BJP MLA from Osmanabad and a former minister.

• Sunetra Pawar founded the Environmental Forum of India, an NGO, in 2010, focusing on the eco-village concept in India.

• She serves as a trustee for Vidya Pratishthan, a well-known educational institution.

• Sunetra has been a think tank member of the World Entrepreneurship Forum in France since 2011.

• Ajit Pawar is actively promoting Sunetra Pawar's work in Baramati, using a promotional vehicle adorned with her photo and featuring flex banners with images of the couple.

• The couple has two sons, Jay and Parth Pawar. Jay manages the family business, while Parth, with political aspirations, contested and lost in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Maval.

Baramati constituency and Pawars

Sharad Pawar had won the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly polls from Baramati in 1967, 1972, 1978, 1980, 1985 and 1990 and the Lok Sabha polls from Baramati in 1984, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2004, from Madha in 2009, and had also won two Rajya Sabha elections from his home state of Maharashtra. The Baramati Lok Sabha seat has been represented for the last three terms by his daughter Supriya Sule.

Ajit Pawar had won the Baramati Lok Sabha elections in 1991 and later won seven Vidhan Sabha terms: 1991, 1995, 1999, 2004, 2009, 2014 and 2019.

(With DHNS inputs)