PUNE: As the sun beats down on the picturesque villages on the hills dotting Khadakwasla dam’s backwaters, Supriya Sule pauses briefly for yet another selfie. There are 25 villages on her campaign itinerary and her day — 8 am to 10 pm — is a whirlwind of house calls, rallies, wedding cameos, speeches, and temple visits. Each moment is crucial in the high-stakes battle where two women from the powerful Pawar clan are challengers — Sule from NCP (SCP) and Sunetra Pawar from deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar’s NCP.
Sule, a three-term MP, is aware that the outcome of the Lok Sabha polls could redefine the destiny of Baramati. Yet, for her, this campaign is not just about personal ambition; it’s a testament to the legacy of her father, Sharad Pawar. As she denounces corruption in electoral bonds in her tailor-made speeches, it is her plea for the Maharashtrian self-respect against ‘invisible forces’ from Delhi who forcibly ‘took away’ parties and symbols of two ‘swabhimanis’ – Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray that elicits the most resounding applause.
Fighting anti-incumbency and facing her toughest competition yet in the form of her cousin’s wife, who, even if a political novice, has the combined might of BJP, NCP and Shiv Sena behind it, she remains undeterred. She is leaving no stones unturned in her quest for that pivotal vote that could make all the difference.
“Their leaders say they want to finish Sharad Pawar in this election. Why could they not find any other person to fight with me instead of a family member? This is not a personal fight, but an ideological fight. And look at the twist of destiny. We got a symbol — a man playing a ‘tutari’ (a traditional horn wind instrument) which was played when Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj also went to fight against invaders,” says Sule in almost all meetings in slightly different ways.
A member of Shiv Sena (UBT) says, “We always opposed NCP and campaigned for BJP candidates in previous elections. But we cannot forgive them for splitting Balasaheb’s party. We are working for Sule more actively than we ever worked for BJP because we want to avenge BJP’s betrayal.”
Most of the old party workers are still Sharad Pawar’s loyalists. Yenubai Bhagat, a septuagenarian, cannot recollect Sule’s name but she knows Sharad Pawar’s daughter has come to ask for a vote. But when asked about the election symbol she almost says ‘ghadyal’ (clock in Marathi), the symbol Sule used till last year, which now belongs to her rival Pawar, before correcting herself to say ‘Tutari’.
To avoid this confusion, at the end of every speech, Sule makes the audience recite ‘tutari vajavnara manoos’ and asks them to vote on the third button after checking her name and her picture on the EVM. A man in traditional attire playing a tutari also follows her around.
But there are some among the younger population who feel they should vote for a change. “She has been in power for three terms. What did she do? We still go to cities for jobs. Ajit Pawar is accessible. He gets angry but he gets the work done. Also, (Narendra) Modi will return to power at the Centre. So, a BJP candidate should win from our constituency so that it gets developed,” a youth said.
A homemaker, who attended one of the temple meetings, tries to gauge the situation. “Khadakwasla has always been a BJP bastion. I may be mistaken but I don’t remember Sule coming here in the last elections. But this year, she has already been here twice because she knows it is tough. ‘Vahini’ alone may not stand a chance against Sule but with the might of Ajit Pawar and BJP behind her, she has a chance and Sule knows it,” she says.
Sule, a three-term MP, is aware that the outcome of the Lok Sabha polls could redefine the destiny of Baramati. Yet, for her, this campaign is not just about personal ambition; it’s a testament to the legacy of her father, Sharad Pawar. As she denounces corruption in electoral bonds in her tailor-made speeches, it is her plea for the Maharashtrian self-respect against ‘invisible forces’ from Delhi who forcibly ‘took away’ parties and symbols of two ‘swabhimanis’ – Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray that elicits the most resounding applause.
Fighting anti-incumbency and facing her toughest competition yet in the form of her cousin’s wife, who, even if a political novice, has the combined might of BJP, NCP and Shiv Sena behind it, she remains undeterred. She is leaving no stones unturned in her quest for that pivotal vote that could make all the difference.
“Their leaders say they want to finish Sharad Pawar in this election. Why could they not find any other person to fight with me instead of a family member? This is not a personal fight, but an ideological fight. And look at the twist of destiny. We got a symbol — a man playing a ‘tutari’ (a traditional horn wind instrument) which was played when Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj also went to fight against invaders,” says Sule in almost all meetings in slightly different ways.
A member of Shiv Sena (UBT) says, “We always opposed NCP and campaigned for BJP candidates in previous elections. But we cannot forgive them for splitting Balasaheb’s party. We are working for Sule more actively than we ever worked for BJP because we want to avenge BJP’s betrayal.”
Most of the old party workers are still Sharad Pawar’s loyalists. Yenubai Bhagat, a septuagenarian, cannot recollect Sule’s name but she knows Sharad Pawar’s daughter has come to ask for a vote. But when asked about the election symbol she almost says ‘ghadyal’ (clock in Marathi), the symbol Sule used till last year, which now belongs to her rival Pawar, before correcting herself to say ‘Tutari’.
To avoid this confusion, at the end of every speech, Sule makes the audience recite ‘tutari vajavnara manoos’ and asks them to vote on the third button after checking her name and her picture on the EVM. A man in traditional attire playing a tutari also follows her around.
But there are some among the younger population who feel they should vote for a change. “She has been in power for three terms. What did she do? We still go to cities for jobs. Ajit Pawar is accessible. He gets angry but he gets the work done. Also, (Narendra) Modi will return to power at the Centre. So, a BJP candidate should win from our constituency so that it gets developed,” a youth said.
A homemaker, who attended one of the temple meetings, tries to gauge the situation. “Khadakwasla has always been a BJP bastion. I may be mistaken but I don’t remember Sule coming here in the last elections. But this year, she has already been here twice because she knows it is tough. ‘Vahini’ alone may not stand a chance against Sule but with the might of Ajit Pawar and BJP behind her, she has a chance and Sule knows it,” she says.