Mumbai: In the Baramati assembly constituency, which garnered widespread attention in western Maharashtra, another intense battle between the Pawar family unfolded after the Lok Sabha elections. This time, the assembly election witnessed a contest between the very experienced Ajit Pawar and his nephew the relatively inexperienced Yugendra Pawar in Baramati.
In the last Lok Sabha elections, Ajit Pawar’s wife, Sunetra Pawar, faced off against Sharad Pawar’s daughter, Supriya Sule, where Sule secured her win in Baramati. However, in this assembly election Ajit Pawar made a strong comeback as he secured a decisive victory on his home ground Baramati, defeating Yugendra Pawar by a margin of nearly one lakh votes.
Baramati has always been a stronghold of the Pawar family, but this election turned into a battle of Ajit Pawar versus Sharad Pawar. In this contest, Ajit Pawar has emerged victorious over Sharad Pawar not only in Baramati but also in western Maharashtra.
With this victory, Ajit Pawar has firmly re-established himself as the “Dada” of Baramati’s politics, cementing his authority and dominance in Baramati as well as the western Maharashtra’s regional political landscape.
Before the assembly elections, the sentiment among Baramati’s local voters seemed clear — support Sule for Lok Sabha and Ajit Pawar for assembly.This time the urban voters largely backed Ajit Pawar while rural voters leaned towards Sharad Pawar’s NCP.
Congress’s poor performance in Sangli, Kolhapur and other districts of western Maharashtra
Historically, western Maharashtra has been a stronghold (bastion) for both the Congress and Sharad Pawar’s NCP — NCP (SP). However, in this assembly election, Congress struggled to maintain party influence in the western Maharashtra region.
This poor performance highlights the Congress’s inability to retain its traditional voter base, especially in rural and semi-urban areas of western Maharashtra in districts like Sangli and Kolhapur. The party faced significant challenges in holding on to the support from farmers and rural communities, in the sugar-producing belt like Kolhapur and Sangli, exposing weaknesses in maintaining dominance in these critical regions.
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Former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan faced a surprising defeat in Karad South constituency where BJP’s Atul Bhosale secured his win. This defeat in Karad, a long-standing Congress stronghold in western Maharashtra is a significant blow for the party and demands serious introspection.
The Mahayuti alliance, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction), succeeded by effectively consolidating voters and working cohesively. In contrast, the Mahavikas Aghadi (MVA) faltered due to a lack of coordination at the local level, which ultimately led to their inability to secure a strong foothold in the region.
In the Kolhapur and Sangli districts, the MVA failed to make an impact in this assembly election. Kolhapur, in particular, witnessed a resounding victory for the Mahayuti alliance. Not a single candidate from the MVA managed to win in Kolhapur district. All ten seats in the district were secured by candidates from the BJP, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction.
In Kolhapur North, a key constituency, Shiv Sena (Shinde) Rajesh Kshirsagar defeated Congress-supported Rajesh Latkar. This followed the withdrawal of Congress candidate Madhurima Raje, a member of the Kolhapur royal family, ahead of the election. Meanwhile, in Kolhapur South, BJP’s former MLA Amal Mahadik defeated incumbent Congress MLA Ruturaj Patil, further consolidating the Mahayuti’s dominance in the region.
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The Ladki Bahin Yojana paved the way for an easier victory for the Mahayuti alliance in this assembly election. Before the polls, the Eknath Shinde-led government implemented the scheme, depositing Rs 1,500 every month directly into the bank accounts of women aged 21 to 65 years. This initiative had a visible impact on the election results.
In districts like Sangli and Kolhapur, women voters, particularly in rural areas, overwhelmingly supported the Mahayuti government. Even in regions traditionally considered strongholds of Congress and the NCP, the Ladki Bahin Yojana helped sway rural women voters in favour of Eknath Shinde’s government. This shift significantly contributed to Mahayuti’s remarkable success in western Maharashtra.
