In Pawar family pocket borough, polling down by over 5% compared to 2019
IN SOME AREAS OF BARAMATI, VOTERS STAYED AWAY FROM POLLING BOOTHS TO AVOID BEING PERCEIVED AS TAKING SIDES
PUNE: A more than 5% drop in polling in Baramati on Tuesday compared to the 2019 Lok Sabha election turnout has made the contest for the Pawar family pocket borough very close, with both the sitting MP and NCP (SP) nominee Supriya Sule and the NCP nominee and wife of deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, Sunetra Pawar, staking claim to victory.
Despite the high-pitched battle, Baramati reported 56.07% turnout during the polling as compared to 61.7% in 2019 and 58.83 % in 2014, according to the figures released by the Election Commission of India. Till 5pm, voter turnout stood at 45.68% with an addition of around 10.5% in the last one hour. These numbers may be revised later by the poll commission, as has been reported in the past, even as there is unlikely to be a major change.
For Sunetra, her party Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is hoping that it will get lead from Khadakwasla, Indapur and Purandar assembly segments while Baramati assembly constituency may see votes divided between both sides equally with younger lot going with Ajit and seniors, particularly from rural belt, siding with Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), according to leaders from both sides.
Sule’s party is expecting sizeable votes in assembly segments of Bhor and Daund.
Khadakwasla, which has highest electorate of 5.21 lakh, reported 50% voter turnout while Baramati assembly segment, the hometown of Pawars, witnessed 64.50%. Indapur where polling continued till 8:30pm due to long queues of voters reported 62.50% polling.
In 2019, Khadakwasla had given lead to BJP candidate Kanchan Kool while Baramati firmly stood behind Sule. This time, with Ajit on opposite side of Sule, the voters were also seen divided between the two members within Pawar family.
“Even as the voter turnout has been less this time as compared to previous polls, we are hoping victory by a comfortable margin. We expect good lead in Indapur, Purandar and Khadakwasla, thanks to our party workers and alliance partners, all of whom worked hard,” said Parth Pawar, NCP leader and elder son of Sunetra and Ajit. Parth was active in micro-managing Sunetra’s campaign this time.
NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar exhibited confidence of Sule’s win. “Despite saam, daam, dand, bhed (using all tactics such as acceptance, bribe, punishment and division), we will win the battle as many people who came to vote preferred to be on the side of Sharad Pawar sahib,” he said.
As hinted by Rohit, there was noticeable sympathy seen among some voters for Pawar senior, against whom the nephew Ajit rebelled last year, splitting the party.
In certain areas of the Baramati Lok Sabha seat, some voters refrained from visiting the polling stations to avoid being perceived as taking sides in this fiercely contested battle.