Pune

Senior leaders of the NCP (SP), including Sharad Pawar, Supriya Sule and Rohit Pawar, on Thursday appealed to the Indian National Congress to withdraw its candidate from the upcoming Baramati Assembly bypoll in Maharashtra.

Sharad Pawar said the by-election is being held following the tragic death of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash, and suggested that the seat could be left uncontested as a mark of respect. He clarified that while the Congress is free to take its own decision, an unopposed election would be appropriate under the circumstances.

Ajit Pawar’s wife, Sunetra Pawar, who is also serving as deputy chief minister, has filed her nomination for the bypoll. However, the Congress has fielded advocate Akash More for the April 23 election.

Echoing similar sentiments, Supriya Sule urged the Congress to reconsider its decision, stating that an uncontested election would serve as a fitting tribute to Ajit Pawar, who had maintained cordial relations with the party.

Earlier in the day, Rohit Pawar met Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal, requesting the withdrawal of the party’s candidate to facilitate Sunetra Pawar’s unopposed election. He expressed hope that the Congress leadership would take a positive call after consultations.

According to sources, Sunetra Pawar had also reached out to Sapkal a day earlier with a similar request.

The Congress, however, has maintained that it would consider withdrawing from the contest only if an FIR is registered in connection with Ajit Pawar’s death, which led to the bypoll.

The political atmosphere ahead of the election has seen some friction, particularly after Parth Pawar criticised the Congress for fielding a candidate. Rohit Pawar later distanced himself from the remarks and expressed regret over the comments.

He added that the Congress had raised a valid demand for a thorough investigation into the plane crash and hoped that Sunetra Pawar, currently in Delhi, would meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah to seek a CBI probe into the incident.

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The NCP (SP) has already announced that it will not field any candidate against Sunetra Pawar. A total of 55 candidates have filed nominations for the bypoll, with April 9 being the last date for withdrawal.