Baramati, which is known as the stronghold of Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, remains under his control yet again. In the municipal council elections, held nearly nine years later, the opposition has made some notable advances. Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party reinforced its significant grip on the local government by winning 35 out of 41 seats. Despite this, the results send a political message, as the opposition managed to secure six seats, indicating potential internal dissent within Ajit Pawar's stronghold.
According to the final results, 27 candidates from Ajit Pawar’s faction, including the current Municipal Council President Sachin Satav, emerged victorious. Prior to this, eight candidates from the same faction had been elected unopposed, bringing Ajit Pawar’s total to 35 seats.
Opposition Parties Enter Baramati Municipal Council for the First Time
The six opposition seats encompass Sharad Pawar's NCP faction, the National Social Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party, and three independent candidates. For the first time, opposition parties have gained a foothold in what has been historically seen as Ajit Pawar's domain. This success is attributed to changes in caste dynamics and internal dissatisfaction.
Interestingly, BJP and Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction), as well as Shiv Sena (UBT) led by Uddhav Thackeray, failed to secure any seats in Baramati.
Ajit Pawar Loses Six Seats
The election saw a tightly contested battle. There were 155 candidates vying for 33 seats, with 14 candidates contesting for the position of Municipal Council President. Apart from the two NCP factions, candidates from BJP, Shiv Sena (Shinde), BSP, and other parties participated. Compared to the 2017 elections, the opposition has seen a slight increase in strength, climbing from four seats against Ajit Pawar’s faction to six.
Baramati's High-Voltage Political Drama
The municipal council elections unfolded amid recent high-voltage political events. After NCP's split post the Lok Sabha elections, Supriya Sule from the Sharad Pawar faction and Sunetra Pawar from the Ajit Pawar faction confronted each other. Subsequently, Ajit Pawar faced his nephew Yugendra Pawar in the state assembly elections, a contest dubbed as ‘Battle of Baramati 3.0.’ Ajit Pawar emerged victorious in that rivalry as well.
In the municipal elections, Sharad Pawar's NCP fielded candidates for 16 seats and supported six independents, but the overall results have once again solidified Ajit Pawar's political stronghold over Baramati.
