Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Disappointed that BJP could find only a Pawar to fight against me, says Supriya Sule

Lok Sabha Member of Parliament (MP), Supriya Sule has said that the contest between her and her sister-in-law Sunetra Pawar in Baramati seat of Maharashtra is a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ploy to politically finish off her father and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founder Sharad Pawar.

Sule, the three-time MP from Baramati, also said that it is ‘very painful’ and ‘uncalled for’ to label the election as ‘Pawar versus Pawar’ contest. 

Also Read : Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra Vs cousin Supriya Sule in NCP stronghold Baramati for Lok Sabha Elections 2024

“So this ploy (to pit Sunetra against Sule) is against the Pawar family and Maharashtra. The BJP wants to finish off Pawar Saheb. I am not saying this. A senior BJP leader made such a remark after visiting Baramati,” Sule was quoted by news agency PTI. 

A Pawar stronghold, Baramati is set for a high-profile battle after the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP fielded Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra Pawar against Sule, the daughter of Sharad Pawar. Before Sule, Baramati has been represented by Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar,too. The seat will go to polls on May 7.

Sule said she was disappointed that the BJP couldn't find anyone else to fight the elections against her. But, she said, the contest will not affect her respect for Sunetra Pawar, her elder brother’s wife, who is like her mother. 

"I am disappointed that my opponent is taking it this way. For me, I am fighting the BJP. With all the might of the BJP, they could find only a Pawar to fight against me. They could find no one in their cadre to fight me.

The contest is the fallout of a split in the original NCP last year when Ajit Pawar sided with the ruling BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena along with his loyalist MLAs. Ajit is currently Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra. 

Also Read : NCP vs NCP: SC raps Ajit Pawar-led party for using Sharad Pawar's picture, suggests not using 'clock' symbol

“It’s very painful—and uncalled for. What’s me and my sister-in-law have to do with it? My sister-in-law will always be my sister-in-law. We have never disagreed for 33 years. We have never taken strong stands,” Sule said in an interview with the Indian Express. 

The Baramati constituency in Pune district comprising Baramati, Indapur, Daund, Purandar, Bhor, and Khadakwasla assembly segments has been a bastion of Sharad Pawar since the 1960s.

Polls to the 48 Lok Sabha seats of Maharashtra will be held in five phases between April 19 and May 20 and votes will be counted on June 4.

“Let bygones be bygones, but for me, my sister-in-law, whom we call 'vahini' in Marathi, will remain in the position of mother, and my respect for her will remain as before,” Sule said.

(With PTI Inputs)