NCP(SP) Won't Be Contesting Against Sunetra Pawar in Baramati, Says Supriya Sule

New Delhi: The NCP-SP working president Supriya Sule clarified that her party will not be fielding any candidate from her party against Deputy Chief Minister and NCP leader Sunetra Pawar in the upcoming Baramati assembly bypoll. The seat fell vacant owing to the death of then deputy Chief Minister and Sunetra Pawar's husband, Ajit Pawar in a tragic plane crash.

The Election Commission announced that bypolls to Baramati in Pune and Rahuri in Ahilyanagar on April 23. The Rahuri seat fell vacant owing to the death of BJP legislator Shivaji Kardile.

As per party insiders, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sunetra Pawar would be contesting the byelection from Baramati.

“I have already clarified that NCP (SP) will not contest the Baramati bypoll. We will not field our candidate against Sunetra Vahini (sister-in-law). As far as Rahuri seat is concerned, the (Opposition) Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) partners will deliberate on the seat and a decision will be taken in the next couple of days,” Sule told reporters in Delhi on Monday.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that efforts are being made to ensure the bypolls to Baramati and Rahuri assembly seats are held unopposed. However, Fadnavis said that his party was up for a fight if it comes down to a contest.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Sule had retained Baramati by defeating her Sunetra Pawar. Notably, the 2024 election was Sunetra Pawar's first electoral contest. She was later elected as a Rajya Sabha member. 

The Plane Crash That Took Ajit Pawar's Life

Ajit Pawar and four others were killed in a plane crash near Baramati in Pune on January 28, 2026. Following his death, Sunetra Pawar was appointed the deputy CM and the president of the NCP. She was also allocated the portfolios of State Excise Duty, Sports and Youth Affairs and Minorities Development and Auqaf.

Speaking about the investigation into the plane crash that took her cousin's life, Sule asserted the need for a transparent probe into the matter.

The Learjet 45 aircraft (VT-SSK) carrying Ajit Pawar crashed-landed while attempting to land at Baramati airport in Pune. The aircraft went down near the runway threshold, killing all five people on board.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau's (AAIB) report pointed out that the crew had asked for visibility while approaching Baramati to which the tower replied 3000 meters (three kilometres), which is well below the required visibility of five kilometres.

The AAIB report also highlighted that there is no meteorological facility at the Baramati Airfield and the weather information is passed on to the aircraft with the help of a weather instrument installed in the temporary tower.

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