Baramati Bypolls 2026: NOTA Beats Abhijeet Bichukale & Karuna Munde As Election Turns One-Sided

Pune: Independent candidates Dr Abhijeet Wamanrao Bichukale and Karuna Dhananjay Munde together secured only 634 votes in the Baramati Assembly by-election, even as NOTA outpolled them with 774 votes, highlighting the one-sided nature of the contest.

Bichukale received 333 votes, while Munde got 301 votes. Their combined tally remained lower than NOTA, which drew more support from voters than both candidates put together. The second-best performer in the election, Professor RY Ghutukade, managed 935 votes, but no candidate except Sunetra Pawar crossed the 1,000 mark.

Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar dominated the bypoll with a massive 2,18,969 votes. The total number of votes cast stood at 2,21,719 out of 3,81,157 registered voters. Sunetra herself managed to get 98.76% of the total votes cast. This translated into a voter turnout of 58.17%. The result clearly showed a lack of competition, turning the election into a nearly one-sided contest.

Bichukale’s Fails Again…

Bichukale, known for his repeated attempts in elections, once again failed to make an impact. A resident of Satara, he is often seen as a “perennial candidate” who contests polls across constituencies like Satara, Pune, and Kalyan.

Despite his high visibility due to reality television shows such as Bigg Boss Marathi and Bigg Boss 15, his electoral performance remained weak.

He is known for his bold claims and ambitions, including his stated goal of becoming prime minister or president of India. His public persona mixes politics, poetry, and entertainment. However, this popularity has not translated into votes.

Karuna Munde’s Underwhelming Performance…

Karuna Munde, a social worker and political activist, also saw limited electoral success. She contested the by-election, raising issues like water scarcity and positioning herself against established political families. Her public image is often linked to her long-standing legal and personal dispute with NCP Minister Dhananjay Munde.

Munde has been active in politics and social causes. She has also been vocal in public forums and on social media. However, like Bichukale, she failed to gain significant voter support in Baramati.

The bypoll was held after the death of senior leader Ajit Pawar. The election turned into a strong endorsement of his legacy, with Sunetra Pawar receiving overwhelming support from voters.

‘Result Is Historic’

Leaders across parties described the result as historic. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said the people of Baramati had paid tribute to Ajit Pawar through this mandate. Sunetra Pawar called the victory emotional and thanked voters for their trust.

The scale of her win, along with the low vote share of other candidates, underlined the absence of a serious challenge in the election.