NCP Unveils Candidates for Key Pune District Seats in 2024 Maharashtra Polls; Ajit Pawar to Contest From Baramati

Reported by Varad Bhatkhande

Pune, 23rd October 2024: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), led by Ajit Pawar, announced its candidates for the upcoming Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections earlier today. Some seats in the Pune District were also revealed. This has officially kick-started the election campaign across Maharashtra, as Mahayuti and Mahavikas Aghadi both have begun announcing candidates.

Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra and sitting MLA of Baramati, Ajit Pawar, will once again contest from Baramati, his home constituency. Although this move was anticipated, it comes after several setbacks Ajit Pawar has faced recently, including his faction’s loss in the Baramati Lok Sabha elections, where his wife was the candidate, and the NCP’s overall underperformance in the elections.

Additionally, many key leaders from Indapur, Pune, and Pimpri Chinchwad in the Pune District have left him. Ajit Pawar had even stated earlier that he was not interested in contesting from Baramati anymore, which fueled speculation that his son, Jay Pawar, might run in his place.

Many believed Ajit Pawar was reluctant to contest in Baramati because the Nationalist Congress Sharadchandra Pawar Party (NCP-SP) is likely to field Yugendra Pawar, Ajit Pawar’s nephew and Sharad Pawar’s grandson, who has gained popularity in recent days. However, Ajit Pawar has ended all speculations by announcing that he will contest from Baramati himself.

Along with Ajit Pawar, the sitting MLA of Pimpri, Anna Bansode, has been given another chance in the Pune District. There was considerable disappointment with Bansode’s nomination, as some leaders within his own party had doubts, including the newly appointed NCP Pimpri Chinchwad City President, Yogesh Behl. In a press conference yesterday, Behl mentioned that he was exploring other options and considering a fresh face, but ultimately, Bansode retained his candidacy.

Additionally, sitting MLA Sunil Shelke from Maval has secured a ticket for the second consecutive time, despite facing opposition from Mahayuti. Other sitting MLAs, including Dilip Mohite Patil from Khed Alandi, Dattatraya Bharane from Indapur, Atul Benke from Junnar, and Chetan Tupe from Hadapsar Constituencies, have all retained secured candidacies from their party.

Wadgaon Sheri Constituency Ignored or Avoided?

The sitting MLA of Wadgaon Sheri Constituency, Sunil Tingre, belongs to Ajit Pawar’s NCP. According to Mahayuti’s rule, the party with the sitting MLA in a constituency gets the chance to contest the elections. This means that Ajit Pawar’s NCP is expected to contest Wadgaon Sheri. However, there is significant opposition against Sunil Tingre in the constituency.

Former MLA Jagdish Mulik from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is eager to contest. Tingre’s involvement in the Kalyani Nagar Porsche incident, where he was accused of pressuring the police and siding with the minor accused, has caused his popularity to decline. Furthermore, BJP’s initial list of 99 candidates did not mention Wadgaon Sheri, nor did NCP include it in its first list of 38 candidates. This has led to speculation about whether they are delaying or avoiding announcing a candidate for the constituency.