Why there is a ‘Pawar play’ over political legacy in Baramati

The politics of Baramati has remained the same for almost six decades. Even as the political map of Maharashtra changed, the dynamics of this constituency in western Maharashtra’s sugar belt centred around one family — the Pawars. First, it was Sharad Pawar and then he made way for his nephew Ajit Pawar. And even as the NCP split, the Pawars stayed.

However, after Ajit Pawar’s sudden death in an air crash in January 28 this year, Baramati is no more the same of the yore. The aspirations of the younger generation of the Pawar family, the BJP’s efforts to make in-roads, and the dilemma of the NCP and NCP (SP) cadre raise questions about the future of the Pawar bastion and the battle of inheritance within the family.