Supriya Sule versus Sunetra Pawar in Baramati is the most crucial battle during the general elections in the war between Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar for the soul of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). But another big uncle-nephew tussle is in the offing in the assembly elections that are scheduled to be held in October. That could see Ajit Pawar pitted against Yugendra Pawar on the Baramati assembly seat. Yugendra is the son of Ajit’s brother Shrinivas.
Banners have been put up in Baramati by Yugendra’s supporters, announcing him as the next MLA. Speaking to ET, the young Pawar didn’t deny there was a clamour for him to contest there. “The cadre feel I am capable. They are expressing their love to me this way,” he said. “However, I have never expressed that I am going to contest the polls.”
Yugendra said, “I tell the cadre that this is not what we should be focusing on now. Our main goal is to support Bade Saheb (Sharad Pawar). Even though Ajit Dada is my uncle, Pawar Saheb is my role model.” Yugendra has been organising and leading Sule’s campaign against Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra, holding corner meetings and participating in padayatras with Sule’s daughter Revati. “Before I went to campaign for Supriya Sule, there was an atmosphere of terror from the other side (Ajit Pawar camp),” he said. “There were threats.Barring five people, there weren’t many willing to stand with us. Once I went to Baramati and expressed support for (Sharad) Pawar Saheb, things changed. People and friends started coming in and thousands of our workers are now working for us.” The atmosphere of “fear and terror has been broken because otherwise, we didn’t have a face to stand up to Ajit Dada and party,” he added.
THE BIG DIVIDE
The Pawar family has effectively split into two, with the larger group supporting Sharad Pawar, and Ajit Pawar isolated, according to a person who has known the family closely for several decades. “If the split does not resolve before the assembly polls, then the Sharad Pawar family will have to pit a candidate against Ajit in Baramati,” he said. “They cannot have a rival MLA be in the heart of their fiefdom go unchallenged, and Yugendra is the best candidate they have for now.
He is already being projected as a yuva neta (young leader) in the constituency.” Yugendra works with his father Shrinivas and is a director of the Sharayu Group of companies, the family business that is involved in logistics, automobile dealerships, agricultural industries, providing security services and real estate. He is also the treasurer of Vidya Pratishtan, an educational institute founded by Sharad Pawar.
He’s known in Baramati, managing a sugar factory in the district. Also, the Sharayu Foundation has been involved in social work in the Baramati parliamentary constituency. “Our foundation has built 1500 wells for farmers, we have built water storage tanks, and we have done a lot of water conservation,” he said. Yugendra says people in the constituency look up to him as he stood by Sharad Pawar. “I guess why people appreciate me is that I could have easily joined those in power and got some contract,” he said. “However, I have decided to struggle and stay with my grandfather. I guess that some people look up to me as the future, as a new face who is willing to do something new.
