Pune: Sunil Tatkare Backs Sunetra Pawar In Baramati Bypoll, Says Record Victory Will Be True Tribute To Ajit Pawar

Pune: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) state president Sunil Tatkare on Monday said that Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar must be elected with a record margin in the Baramati Assembly by-election, calling it a true tribute to late leader Ajit Pawar.

Tatkare was addressing a large gathering of party workers in Baramati ahead of Sunetra Pawar filing her nomination papers. He became emotional while recalling his long political association with Ajit Pawar. He said a request had been made to all political parties to allow the election to be held unopposed.

He said efforts were made to reach out to the Congress leadership. “Even if they are not ready now, we will continue to try until the last date of withdrawal,” Tatkare said. He urged all parties to respect Ajit Pawar’s legacy and support Sunetra Pawar.

Tatkare said if an election takes place, people of Baramati should ensure a historic victory. “She must win by a margin higher than any ever seen in a state assembly election in the country,” he said.

He also referred to the democratic values given by B. R. Ambedkar and said the mandate should reflect the people’s tribute to Ajit Pawar. He repeated that an unopposed election would have been ideal, but the party is ready for a contest.

Congress Files Nomination

From the stage, Tatkare made a personal request to Sunetra Pawar. He asked her to follow Ajit Pawar’s tradition of addressing voters only at the final rally of the campaign.

Meanwhile, efforts to keep the election unopposed have failed. Sunetra Pawar had reached out to Uddhav Thackeray and Congress state president Harshvardhan Sapkal with an appeal. However, the Congress has fielded Akash More as its candidate.

With more than 19 candidates in the fray, the Baramati by-election is now set to witness a direct political contest. Voting will take place on April 23.