Congress exits Baramati race, Sunetra Pawar ahead

The Congress withdrew its Baramati candidate Akash More on Thursday after continuous pressure and repeated appeals for an uncontested bypoll in favour of NCP president and deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar. Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal announced the decision on the last day of nomination withdrawal. The Congress said it took the step after unprecedented efforts were made to convince the party to support Sunetra Pawar’s candidature by staying out of the election.

Soon after the announcement, Akash More confirmed that he would withdraw his nomination following the party’s directive. Sapkal explained that several leaders had approached Congress with the request and that Sunetra Pawar herself met Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge to urge for an uncontested bypoll. She also spoke to Sapkal multiple times, including a phone call on Thursday morning.

The Baramati bypoll, scheduled for April 23, became necessary after the death of former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash on January 28. The NCP nominated his wife, Sunetra Pawar, as his political successor for the seat. Congress was the only major party contesting against her and had even secured the support of the RSP and VBA, both influential groups in the region.

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Rohit Pawar urges Congress to step back

The day began with NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar meeting Sapkal at his residence to urge him to withdraw the Congress candidate. Rohit said Ajit Pawar maintained strong relations with Congress leaders and argued that the party should honour this legacy by supporting Sunetra Pawar. He requested that all independent candidates also withdraw to ensure an uncontested bypoll. Sapkal acknowledged his views but initially questioned the lack of action in ongoing legal matters involving the state government.

Later, a five-member NCP delegation led by minister Makarand Patil met Sapkal at the Congress office in Colaba and formally requested the withdrawal. The meeting lasted nearly an hour, after which Sapkal agreed to remove the Congress candidate from the race. The delegation included legislators Sanjay Khodke, Rajesh Vitekar, Manoj Kayande and Sana Malik, all of whom stressed the importance of an unopposed election.

Prominent leaders across parties supported the idea of an uncontested bypoll. NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, keeping a neutral stance, said the seat fell vacant due to an accident and that Maharashtra traditionally avoids contesting such elections. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis also called Sapkal and urged him to uphold this tradition. As the day progressed, Sapkal began receiving calls from senior NCP leaders, including Chhagan Bhujbal and Dhananjay Munde, who repeated the same request. This growing pressure eventually led the Congress to step aside, clearing the path for Sunetra Pawar’s easy win in Baramati.

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