In a bold move, former minister and Shiv Sena leader Vijay Shivtare, known for his opposition to the Pawar family, declared his candidacy for the Lok Sabha elections from the Baramati constituency. The announcement, made at Saswad on Monday, challenges the political stronghold the Pawar family has maintained over Baramati for the past 50 years.
Shivtare, who joined Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena after Shinde’s rebellion against Uddhav Thackeray in 2022, has a history of political rivalry with Supriya Sule and Ajit Pawar. Despite the existing alliance between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and Shiv Sena, Shivtare’s decision to contest has raised eyebrows.
In the seat-sharing arrangement, Baramati is slated to go to the NCP, with Ajit Pawar’s wife, Sunetra Pawar, likely to be the candidate against the sitting MP, Supriya Sule, daughter of Sharad Pawar.
Shivtare’s announcement, made without consideration for the alliance, underscores his belief that Baramati should not be treated as a personal fiefdom. He urged his supporters not to fixate on the election symbol and stressed the need for representation from other assembly segments like Purandar, Bhor, and Indapur.
“Baramati Lok Sabha is not the ownership of any family and is written on the 7/12 extract,” Shivtare asserted, challenging the Pawar family’s long-standing control over the constituency.
Accusing Ajit Pawar of past insults and criticizing Sule for her focus on Baramati town over other tehsils, Shivtare highlighted the significant number of votes against the Pawar family in the last election. He stated, “I am contesting the election to respect these votes.”
Although Purandar is adjacent to Baramati, Shivtare, a two-time elected assembly member, faced defeat in the 2019 polls against Congress MLA Sanjay Jagtap.
