New Delhi: Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar is set to win the Baramati Assembly by-election unopposed after the Congress party withdrew its candidate, Akash More, following appeals from Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders and senior state officials. In a parallel development, Parth Pawar, son of the late Ajit Pawar, took oath as a Rajya Sabha member on Thursday.

Congress withdraws candidate

NCP(SP) legislator Rohit Pawar met Maharashtra Congress President Harshwardhan Sapkal, urging him to pull the party nominee to allow for an uncontested victory for Sunetra Pawar in the bypoll scheduled for 23 April.

“As a message to the people regarding the opposition to BJP, we had decided to contest Baramati. Not just in Baramati, but also in Rahuri, we had said that we will fight against BJP. We had been campaigning door-to-door," Sapkal said during a press briefing.

Tribute to Ajit Pawar

The unopposed path comes in the wake of the untimely death of Ajit Pawar, who died in a plane crash on 28 January in Baramati, his political stronghold. Rohit Pawar highlighted the emotional significance of the election.

“I made a request to the state Congress chief for the withdrawal of the party nominee, which will pave the way for the unopposed election of Sunetra Pawar in the Baramati bypoll. This is necessary as the bypoll is taking place after the untimely demise of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, and the unopposed election will be a tribute to him. It is now up to the Congress party to make a decision. I am quite hopeful about the Congress party's move. It is a national party, and it will make a decision after the due process," he told reporters.

Rohit Pawar also noted the long-standing push to register an FIR in connection with Ajit Pawar’s death. “Following the loss of a stalwart like Ajit Dada, it is essential to view this election through an emotional lens as a true tribute to him. As a family member and a karyakarta, I have appealed to Congress to withdraw their nomination," he added.

Earlier, Sunetra Pawar had personally reached out twice to Harshwardhan Sapkal to request a clear route for an unopposed election. Sources said the final decision has been deferred to the party’s “High Command” in Delhi. “The decision to contest Baramati was taken at the national level. Therefore, any move to withdraw must be discussed with the High Command and follow their counsel," a Congress insider said.

Parth Pawar takes Rajya Sabha oath

Meanwhile, Parth Pawar, 35, has taken the oath as a Rajya Sabha MP by Chairman C. P. Radhakrishnan at Parliament House. He took the oath in English in the presence of Leader of the House J. P. Nadda, Congress Chief Whip Jairam Ramesh, and other senior leaders.

Parth Pawar, who had contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from the Maval constituency but lost to Shiv Sena’s Shrirang Barne, was elected to the Upper House with the support of the NCP’s 40 MLAs in the Maharashtra Assembly.

Sunetra Pawar had previously served in the Rajya Sabha before assuming office as Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister following the death of her husband Ajit Pawar.