Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)-Sharadchandra Pawar leader and Baramati MP Supriya Sule on Sunday said that it should not be portrayed as a 'family fight' if her sister-in-law Sunetra Pawar becomes her opponent candidate for Baramati in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Sule told the reporters, "How can this be a family fight? Anyone can contest elections in a democracy."
Ajit Pawar on Saturday hinted that his wife Sunetra Pawar might contest the election for his faction of NCP in the upcoming polls for the Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule bastion Baramati.
Speaking to reporters, Sule expressed that she is ready to fight a 'strong' candidate from the other parties.
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She added, "I also said yesterday that if they have a strong candidate, then I am ready to talk to that candidate. Whatever topic, time, or place they decide, I am ready to sit down and discuss..." news agency ANI quoted Sule as saying."
Sule mentioned that her aim to fight the election is to highlight the issues of unemployment, inflation, Paytm issue, and the scam of the electoral bond.
"I am contesting for Parliament polls. Unemployment, inflation, a big Paytm issue, and the scam of the electoral bond... People who have been accused of corruption...all those corrupted... if they are convicted...they all are joining the BJP," she said, adding, "whether corruption took place in the country or not. This is a big issue," Sule added.
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Sule's comments followed Ajit Pawar's emotional plea to his supporters to vote for a newcomer despite being surrounded by experienced individuals.
During his address to party members in Baramati, Ajit Pawar announced that he plans to nominate a candidate who has not previously run for election, but will receive backing from those with extensive experience.
He urged people to support his candidate as they would support him if he were running for the position.
Reacting to Pawar's request to voters to choose a 'first-timer' instead of the experienced candidates, Sule expressed disappointment towards her brother's perspective. She told the media on Saturday, "I am surprised and disappointed that someone as senior leader as Ajit Pawar is to say something like that..."
Ajit Pawar's outreach to his supporters has heightened the intensity of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Baramati.
On Saturday, promotional vehicles in Baramati displayed images of Ajit Pawar and his wife Sunetra alongside the NCP symbol, fueling speculation about her potential candidacy.
The Baramati Lok Sabha constituency has long been a stronghold for Sharad Pawar and his daughter Supriya Sule.
Sule first entered the Rajya Sabha in 2006, and then went on to serve three consecutive terms as a Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha in 2009, 2014, and 2019.
Sunetra Pawar, the sister of senior politician and former minister Padamsinh Patil, is a social worker and the founder of the Environmental Forum of India, an NGO established in 2010.
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She also acts as a trustee for the esteemed educational institution Vidya Prathishthan, and has been a member of the World Entrepreneurship Forum's Think Tank in France since 2011.
