Pune: Ajit Pawar Has Become Arun Gawali of Baramati: Jitendra Awhad

Pune: The MahaVikas Aaghadi alliance has finalised its seat-sharing formula, with senior leaders from all participating parties making the announcement during a press conference today. As the spotlight now shifts to the Mahayuti alliance for their seat allocation announcement, tensions are running high as the state gears up for elections.

However, amidst the preparations for the upcoming elections, a flurry of allegations and counter-allegations has emerged from both political camps. In a fiery statement to the media, Jitendra Awhad, MLA of the Kalwa-Mumbra constituency and a senior leader of the NCP-SP party, took aim at Ajit Pawar, accusing him of resorting to intimidation tactics to secure votes in Baramati.

Awhad alleged that Ajit Pawar has been threatening residents of Baramati, employing a politics of fear and coercion. He claimed, “People are receiving threatening calls, and officials are being transferred in Baramati to manipulate the election outcome.” Drawing a comparison, Awhad likened Ajit Pawar’s tactics to those of Arun Gawali, a notorious gangster, dubbing Ajit Pawar as the “Arun Gawali of Baramati.”

Emphasising the legacy of Sharad Pawar in Baramati, Awhad asserted that the constituency’s prominence on the world stage is due to the groundwork laid by Sharad Pawar. He noted that dignitaries like Bill Clinton and Narendra Modi visited Baramati because of Sharad Pawar’s influence, not Ajit Pawar’s. Awhad expressed confidence that despite defections, the people of Baramati remain loyal to Sharad Pawar and predicted a resounding victory for Supriya Sule by a margin exceeding 2 lakhs.

Earlier, Supriya Sule also made similar allegations against Ajit Pawar, blaming him for using strong-arm tactics in the constituency. However, Supriya Sule said that Baramatikar is not afraid of threatening. Stating her willingness to fight injustice, Sule said, “Neither we will be afraid nor we will be silenced against this authoritarianism. We will fight till the end.” Sule taunting Ajit Pawar said that blessing to those who switched their loyalties. Let them do what they want. We will only serve the people.

The Baramati constituency has become a focal point of political intrigue as, for the first time, two members of the Pawar family are contesting against each other. Representing the MahaVikas Aaghadi alliance, Supriya Sule faces off against Sunetra Pawar from the Mahayuti alliance.