Maharashtra Bypolls 2026: Voting Begins In Baramati, Rahuri; Sunetra Seeks Support In Pawar Bastion Amid Sympathy Wave

Mumbai: Voting began at 7 am on Thursday for the by-elections in Baramati and Rahuri assembly constituencies, with polling scheduled to continue till 6 pm.

The Baramati bypoll has drawn major attention following the death of Deputy Chief Minister and NCP leader Ajit Pawar in an air crash on January 28, which necessitated the election. His wife, Sunetra Pawar, is contesting the seat and has appealed to voters to support her as a tribute to her late husband.

With 23 candidates in the fray and around 3.84 lakh registered voters, the Baramati contest is being seen as largely one-sided after the Indian National Congress withdrew its candidate, Akash More, citing emotional pressure from alliance partners.

Major parties from both the ruling alliance and opposition, including Shiv Sena (UBT) and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction), have not fielded candidates, further strengthening Sunetra Pawar’s position. Among the remaining contenders are Prof. R.Y. Ghutukade of the New Rashtriya Samaj Party and Satish Kadam of the Hindustan Janta Party, along with several independents.

Why Is Rahuri Seeing Bypoll?

Meanwhile, the Rahuri bypoll is witnessing a more competitive contest. Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Akshay Kardile is facing off against Govind Mokate of the NCP (SP) and Santosh Chalke of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi. The seat fell vacant after the death of BJP MLA Shivaji Kardile in October last year. Akshay Kardile is his son.

The bypolls are important as they come amid a shifting political landscape in Maharashtra. The 288-member Assembly currently sees the ruling Mahayuti alliance holding a dominant 235 seats, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has 50 seats.

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