The NDA allies in Maharashtra – BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP – have reportedly finalized their seat sharing for the Lok Sabha elections. According to the agreement, the BJP will contest on 31 seats, while Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena will contest on 13 seats and Ajit Pawar-led NCP on 4 seats. NCP will contest from Baramati, Raigarh, Shirur and Parbhani.
Baramati is a stronghold of the Pawar family as the NCP has never lost this seat since 1996. NCP supremo Sharad Pawar represented this seat from 1996 to 2004 and then his daughter Supriya Sule held the seat since 2009.
Ajit Pawar’s cousin Sule is the current MP from Baramati. This will be the first major election in Baramati when two members of the Pawar family can face each other. There is speculation that Ajit Pawar may field his wife Sunetra Pawar against Sule.
Ajit Pawar has fielded NCP Maharashtra president and sitting MP Sunil Tatkare to defend Raigad against Anant Geete, who will likely be nominated by Uddhav Thackeray’s army to contest from the seat. NCP can field Pradeep Kand or Adhalrao Patil from Shirur.
In the last parliamentary elections, BJP had contested the elections along with the undivided Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray. BJP-Sena together won 41 out of 48 seats. BJP got 23 seats and Sena got 21 seats. On the other hand, Congress won 1 seat, while 4 seats went to NCP and 1 to AIMIM.