Election fever has reached its peak in Baramati in the last phase of the campaign for the Maharashtra assembly polls with the rival Nationalist Congress Party factions led by Ajit Pawar and his uncle Sharad Pawar leaving no stone unturned.
As November 20, the polling day, draws near, family members on both sides of the divide are reaching out to voters.
After the Lok Sabha elections, the constituency is once again witnessing a high-profile contest within the Pawar family with the Sharad Pawar-led party fielding Yugendra Pawar against Ajit, currently Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister.
Yugendra, a political debutant, is the son of Ajit Pawar's younger brother.
The intensity of the contest can be gauged from the fact that Sharad Pawar's wife Pratibha, who generally keeps away from politics, and Supriya Sule's daughter Revati are also canvasing for Yugendra.
Ajit Pawar, who parted ways with uncle Sharad Pawar in 2023 and split the party, is visiting as many villages as possible, highlighting the development he brought about in the region in the last three decades.
Voters chose 'Pawar saheb' over him in the Lok Sabha elections but they should support him this time, Ajit is telling the people.
Supriya Sule, Sharad Pawar's daughter and incumbent MP, defeated Ajit's wife Sunetra in the parliamentary elections by more than 1.5 lakh votes.
Supriya 'tai' (elder sister in Marathi) is now fully involved in the campaign for her nephew Yugendra.
Sunetra Pawar, now a Rajya Sabha member, is conducting door-to-door campaign for her husband. Ajit's sisters Vijaya Patil and Rajni Indulkar are also actively supporting their brother.
Kiran-dada Gujar, Ajit Pawar's election in-charge in Baramati, said their campaign is progressing in a highly coordinated manner.
Asked about the Pawar family members campaigning against Ajit, he said, "There is no comparison between Ajit Pawar and those campaigning against him. People here adore Ajit-dada ('dada' is elder brother), and we are seeking votes based on his development record."
While the opposition is trying to play the emotional card, Ajit Pawar's campaign remains focused on development, he added.
Sunetra Pawar has been reaching out to various groups, meeting with representatives of trade unions, social organizations and people from all communities, he said.
"Ajit dada's sisters are also campaigning for him," Gujar said.
Ajit Pawar has visited 70 of 117 villages in the constituency so far, he said, adding that for the last three days Pawar has been hitting the road early in the morning, visiting villages, then joining the campaign in the rest of the state around noon, and returning to Baramati late at night.
The dynamic that was at play during the Lok Sabha elections is absent this time, Gujar claimed.
"His 40 years of work in Baramati speaks for him. People chose Supriya-tai last time, but now they realize that without Ajit Pawar, the development of Baramati will not take place as he has a vision for the constituency," he said.
The Sharad Pawar camp claims there would be a repeat of the Lok Sabha result on November 23 when votes are counted.
Sadashiv Bapu Satav, local campaign in-charge of NCP-Sharadchandra Pawar, said Pratibha Pawar has been visiting rural areas and talking to people while other members of the family are also reaching out in the urban areas of the constituency.
"Like Lok Sabha, people of Baramati are still not very predictive, but they will do exactly what they are supposed to do," he said.
Notably, neither the leaders of the NCP allies BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena nor the leaders of the NCP-SP allies Congress and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena-UBT have visited Baramati for campaign.
When asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not hold a rally for him, Ajit Pawar said it was not needed as it was a contest within the family.
