Sunetra Pawar, the wife of former Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, is set to get elected unopposed in the Baramati Assembly bypolls after the Congress decided to withdraw its candidate.
The by-election was necessitated after the death of Ajit Pawar in a plane crash.
Maharashtra Congress president, Harshvardhan Sapkal, too said that the party will withdraw its candidate.
Congress's Akash More had filed his nomination for the April 23 bypoll.
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Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said his party will not contest the bypoll to the Baramati assembly seat
Top leaders from the ruling Mahayuti as well as opposition NCP (SP) had been appealing the Congress to withdraw its candidate for an unopposed election in Baramati.
Earlier in the day, NCP (SP) leaders, including party chief Sharad Pawar, MP Supriya Sule and MLA Rohit Pawar, again urged the grand old party not to fight the bypoll.
Sharad Pawar said that since the bypoll is being held in the backdrop of the tragic plane crash that claimed Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar's life, he would advise the Congress not to be a part of the contest.
"Congress is a national party, and we cannot direct it to withdraw its candidate. However, the Baramati seat fell vacant due to a tragic accident that snatched away an efficient leader from Maharashtra...If asked, I would suggest to Congress it would be appropriate to make this bypoll unopposed," he told reporters in Baramati.
A day earlier, Sunetra Pawar had spoken to Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal to request him to ensure that his party's candidate withdraws his nomination against her in the bypoll.
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