Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and MP Supriya Sule on Wednesday filed her nomination papers for the Baramati Lok Sabha constituency amid a massive show of strength by the NCP and Congress in the city.
Ms. Sule, daughter of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, is a two-time MP from the Pawar clan stronghold of Baramati.
She was accompanied by NCP leader and her cousin Ajit Pawar, his son Parth Pawar (the NCP-Congress candidate from Maval), the Congress candidate from Pune seat, Mohan Joshi, who filed his nomination papers as well, and senior Congressman Harshavardhan Patil.
In Baramati, Ms. Sule faces Bharatiya Janata Party’s Kanchan Kul, wife of Rashtriya Samaj Paksha (RSP) legislator from Daund, Rahul Kul.
“This election is not about our family, but about the future of our country,” said Ms. Sule, addressing a rally after filing her nomination.
Hitting out at the BJP, Ms. Sule, who was recently named ‘Best Parliamentarian’, accused the ruling party of going back on its promises of development and indulging in personal agendas and attacks of individuals instead.
“The BJP, which accuses us of nepotism and dynastic politics, first ought to see their own candidate list. The ruling party is indulging in below-the-belt politics because it has nothing to show for its five years in power,” she said.
She said if a United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government comes to power, it would ensure a complete loan waiver to farmers.
Baramati has been the virtual fiefdom of the Pawar family, with the Lok Sabha seat being held by Mr. Sharad Pawar since 1991 when he was first with the Congress and then split the party to found the NCP in 1999.
Of the six Assembly segments in the constituency, two are represented by the NCP (Baramati and Indapur) and one each by Mahadev Jankar-led RSP (Daund), the BJP (Khadakwasla), the Shiv Sena (Purandar) and the Congress (Bhor).
Despite Ms. Kul being a political neophyte, observers say Ms. Sule may face a tough fight this time around.
In 2014, Ms. Sule had a scare after Dhangar leader and RSP chief Mahadev Jankar lost by a mere 70,000 votes.
This time the BJP and allies Shiv Sena and RSP, determined to breach the Pawar bastion, are throwing their weight behind Ms. Kul.
Another balancing act for the NCP has been to mollify Congress leader Harshawardhan Patil, who lost the Indapur Assembly seat to NCP’s Dattatray Bharne in the 2014 Assembly elections when both the Congress and the NCP had contested separately.
Recently, Ajit Pawar, to ensure Ms. Sule’s win from Baramati, met Mr. Patil in Pune to iron out any disaffection the Congress leader may still harbour against the NCP.