Maharashtra bypoll: NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar urges Congress to withdraw from Baramati, backs deputy CM Sunetra Pawar

PUNE: A few hours before the deadline for withdrawal of nominations for the bypolls, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar ‘advised’ the Congress party to withdraw its candidate from the Baramati seat and support NCP chief Sunetra Pawar.

Earlier, Sharad Pawar had said there was nothing wrong with the Congress contesting the Baramati seat. However, on the last day for withdrawal, he appealed to his alliance partner at both the Centre and state levels to step aside.

“Maharashtra lost a talented politician like Ajit Pawar. The Baramati seat got vacant due to an accident. Against that backdrop, my advice to the Congress party would be not to contest the seat. Congress is a national party and we can at the most suggest to them. Ultimately, the decision has to be taken by that party,” Pawar said.

The deadline for withdrawal of nominations for the Baramati and Rahuri bypolls ends today at 3 pm. Ahead of this, NCP (SP) leaders have stepped up efforts to persuade the Congress to withdraw from Baramati.

NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar met state Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal in Mumbai on Thursday morning, urging him to withdraw the party’s candidate. NCP chief Sunetra Pawar also spoke to Sapkal, requesting the same.