The Congress on Sunday announced its candidate for the Baramati assembly by-election, scheduled for April 23, fielding state unit secretary Akash More against NCP leader and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar.
The by-election was necessitated by the demise of Sunetra’s husband and former Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, who, along with four others, died in a plane crash near the Baramati airstrip on January 28, 2026.
Congress’ decision to field More comes amid the NCP’s efforts to secure Sunetra’s unopposed election, highlighting a rift within the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) over contesting the seat.
Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP), a constituent of the MVA, had earlier made clear that it would not field a candidate in Baramati as a mark of respect for the late Ajit Pawar. Shiv Sena (UBT), another MVA member, also signaled support for an uncontested election.
Notably, Congress announced More’s candidacy just hours after Sunetra contacted state Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal, urging him to ensure an unopposed bypoll. A day earlier, Sunetra had also sought support from Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray.
A PTI report quoted sources as saying that Thackeray was not averse to extending his support to Sunetra Pawar, considering his close ties with the late Ajit Pawar and the Pawar family.
Sunetra is set to file her nomination on Monday. Votes will be counted on May 4.
Baramati is a stronghold of the Pawar family. Ajit Pawar, an eight-time MLA from the constituency, won the 2019 Assembly election by a record margin of 1.65 lakh votes and retained the seat in 2024 with a margin exceeding 1 lakh votes, defeating his nephew, Yugendra Pawar.
Sunetra, meanwhile, contested the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Baramati but was unsuccessful, while her sister-in-law and NCP(SP) leader Supriya Sule retained the seat.
Sunetra assumed office as Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra on January 31 and was unanimously elected President of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on February 26.