Shiv Sena Aspirant May Retreat, Leave Baramati Battle to Pawar 'nanad-bhabhi'

In a significant development, a former legislator of the ruling Shiv Sena Vijay Shivtare is likely to quit the battle for Baramati, after he met top leaders of the MahaYuti alliance here on Thursday.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit A. Pawar, along with senior Shiv Sena leader Bharat Gogawale had a ‘fruitful’ meeting with Shivtare at the CM’s bungalow ‘Varsha’, on Thursday.

After the tete-a-tete, everybody emerged smiling broadly, indicating that the political brawl over Baramati has apparently ended and Shivtare may opt out of the race, though a formal announcement will be made later.

Earlier, an adamant Shivtare had threatened to file his nomination papers for Baramati as an independent on April 12 at 12 noon, and even “vowed to defeat Sunetra A. Pawar”, rattling the MahaYuti, and making Ajit A. Pawar edgy.

The battle for Baramati is all set to be fought between the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra A. Pawar and Nationalist Congress Party (SP) Working President Supriya Sule, the sitting 3-time MP.

The daughter of NCP(SP) supremo Sharad Pawar, Supriya Sule is the ‘nanad’ of Sunetra A. Pawar, (her Bhabhi) and the two women enjoy a cordial relationship, as witnessed on several occasions in the recent past when they bumped into each other in the constituency on the campaign trail.

Without taking any names, Ajit A. Pawar had hinted on Wednesday that the NCP will officially announce its nominee for Baramati in a day or so, “and the candidate shall be the person who is in your mind”.