Maharashtra polls: Tension prevails in Baramati; Yugendra's mother alleges death threats to her son’s cadres

It’s a prestige battle for the rival factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Baramati where sitting MLA and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar is taking on his nephew Yugendra Pawar.

While the war of words, blame games and mudslinging marked the high-octane campaign, tension prevailed in the constituency on the voting day after Yugendra’s mother Sharmila Pawar on Wednesday alleged intimidation and malpractices by workers of Ajit Pawar’s party.

Yogendra is the son of Ajit Pawar’s brother and a grandnephew of NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar.

"When I received the information, I reached the spot and saw that some voter slips bearing the symbol of their (NCP) party were being circulated and our people were being intimidated and given death threats," Sharmila alleged. 

She further said that a complaint will be filed with the Election Commission in this regard.

Kiran Gujar, representing Ajit Pawar’s faction in Baramati, said Sharmila Pawar is not an election official and she had no right to interfere at polling stations. He also dismissed allegation that the NCP had distributed slips bearing party symbol. 

“If there are irregularities, why does the election officer of the polling station not take objection? It shows that when the system is working fairly, you are trying to defame the system," he was quoted as saying by PTI.

Ajit Pawar has been representing Baramati in the state assembly since 1991.

In the Lok Sabha polls held earlier this year, Ajit Pawar fielded his wife Sunetra Pawar from Baramati parliamentary seat against sitting MP Supriya Sule, the daughter of Sharad Pawar.

Sule defeated Sunetra Pawar comfortably and since then Ajit Pawar has often said fielding his wife against his cousin was a mistake.