Just 72 hours subsequent to Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) President Raj Thackeray extending unconditional support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling Mahayuti government, he underwent a remarkable shift from the political periphery to the electoral forefront.
The leader of MNS, recognized by the symbol of a 'Railway Engine', now occupies a prominent position on the fresh posters, banners, leaflets, and promotional materials of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate from Baramati, Sunetra Pawar.
Baramati has quickly emerged as one of the key Lok Sabha 2024 constituencies with an intense showdown slated between NCP President and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra, and his cousin sister, Nationalist Congress Party (SP) Working President Supriya Sule, daughter of the influential Maratha leader Sharad Pawar.
The visibly fierce contest between the 'bhabhi' (Sunetra) and 'nanad' (Supriya) has ignited significant interest not only among the local populace but nationwide, often characterized as a clash between a 'newcomer' and a 'seasoned veteran' -- drawing support from both genders across party lines.
Now, with Raj Thackeray's entrance into the scene, Sunetra Pawar's position appears to have gained strength, his spectacled visage in a saffron kurta blending among other prominent figures, holding a respectable stature. Among them stand Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, Raj Thackeray, RPI (A) President and Union Minister Ramdas Athawale, Rashtriya Samaj Party leader Mahadev Jankar, and Rayat Kranti Sanghatana head Sadabhau Khot. Positioned at the top left is former Deputy Prime Minister YB Chavan -- the last CM of Bombay State and the first CM of Maharashtra, as well as the founder of Shiv Sena, Balasaheb Thackeray.
Confronting a barrage of opposition from nearly the entire Pawar clan, Sunetra Pawar is vigorously campaigning to seize the Baramati LS seat from Supriya Sule's grip. Few anticipate it to be an easy victory for Sunetra Pawar -- after all, Baramati LS has been represented by Sharad Pawar five times, along with one by-election, Ajit Pawar once, and Supriya Sule thrice. Historically, it has been a stronghold of the Congress-NCP alliance since the 1957 LS elections, except for two instances -- during the Janata Party surge of 1977 and a bypoll in 1985.
The NCP, founded by Sharad Pawar on June 10, 1999, witnessed a vertical split in July 2023, akin to Balasaheb Thackeray's Shiv Sena founded on June 19, 1966, which experienced a split in June 2022. The impending electoral battle in Baramati and across the state is also perceived as a public referendum on the fractured factions -- Shiv Sena led by CM Shinde and NCP under the leadership of Ajit Pawar -- now hailed as the 'original parties'. In fact, Sharad Pawar couldn't resist dipping his toe into the fray by playfully remarking on how the Baramati showdown would pit a local Pawar (Supriya) against an outsider Pawar (Sunetra) -- a comment that elicited amusement, though the underlying message wasn't lost on either side.
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