Nationalist Congress Party leader and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar has taken a commanding early lead in the Baramati Assembly bypoll, as counting of votes got underway on Monday morning.
The contest, closely watched for its political symbolism, centres around Baramati, which is long seen as the Pawar family’s bastion, and comes after the seat fell vacant following the death of sitting MLA Ajit Pawar in a plane crash earlier this year.
According to trends released by the Election Commission of India around 9:40 am, Sunetra Pawar had polled over 8,800 votes in the opening round. Of the 27,264 votes counted so far, she has secured a staggering 26,773 votes, leaving all other candidates far behind with a combined tally of just 491 votes.
Why Baramati bypoll is under the spotlight
The Baramati seat in Pune district has drawn significant attention not just for the margin but also for the legacy factor. With Sunetra Pawar stepping in after Ajit Pawar’s death on January 28, the election is widely seen as a test of the family’s continuing grip over the constituency.
A total of 3.84 lakh voters are registered in the constituency, where 23 candidates are in the fray. However, the withdrawal of key opposition parties has effectively turned the contest into a one-sided affair, placing the NCP candidate in a dominant position early in the count.
Other constituencies: BJP ahead in Rahuri
In another update from Maharashtra, Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Akshay Shivajirao Kardile is leading in the Rahuri Assembly constituency. As per ECI data after the second round of counting, he has secured 11,071 votes so far.
Bigger picture: Multi-state bypolls and counting day
The bypolls, conducted on April 9 and April 23 across states including Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Nagaland and Tripura, were necessitated by the deaths of sitting MLAs.
Counting is also underway for Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Assam and Puducherry. Results are expected to become clearer through the day as multiple rounds of counting progress.