Baramati Assembly Constituency 2024 LIVE: Ajit Pawar trounces Yugendra, wins Baramati

Baramati, traditionally synonymous with predictable electoral outcomes, has witnessed a dramatic transformation in this assembly election, marked by an intense contest and divided loyalties.

A bastion of the Pawar family for decades, Baramati became the stage for a high-stakes faceoff between seasoned politician Ajit Pawar, a seven-term MLA and deputy chief minister, and his young challenger, 32-year-old Yugendra Pawar, who entered the fray with the backing of family patriarch Sharad Pawar.

As trends trickle in, Ajit Pawar is all set to win the seat decisively, as he is leading with a margin of 21,000 votes over Yugendra Pawar, as per ECI. As per the latest trends on ECI website, Ajit Pawar has comfortably defeated Yugendra.

The clash, rife with allegations, emotional appeals, and political drama, drove voter turnout to a striking 71.03%, surpassing the 68.38% recorded in 2019. Political analysts suggest that the higher turnout could work in Ajit Pawar's favour, recalling his landslide victory in 2019 with a margin of 1.67 lakh votes.

Ajit Pawar, one of the first to cast his vote, had expressed confidence in his development-centric campaign. “I have met as many people as possible during this campaign, and I believe the voters will give me a decisive victory. The contest wasn’t challenging; it’s just that a family member is running against me,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Yugendra Pawar, on his way to the polling booth, expressed optimism about his campaign’s impact. “We worked tirelessly, and I trust the voters to honour Pawar Saheb’s legacy and support us,” he remarked.

For many constituents, the election posed a challenging choice between Ajit Pawar’s seasoned leadership as the NCP candidate and Yugendra’s promise of a fresh approach as the NCP (SP) nominee. Urban voters in Baramati town largely rallied behind Ajit Pawar, recognising his long-standing leadership, while rural areas leaned toward Yugendra, influenced by his connection to the revered Sharad Pawar.

This familial rift within the constituency echoes past electoral dynamics, such as the Lok Sabha elections when voters favoured Supriya Sule over Ajit Pawar’s wife, Sunetra Pawar, highlighting Baramati’s complex political loyalties.