Nationalist Congress Party (SP) leader Supriya Sule expressed her joy in celebrating Diwali with her family, emphasizing the significance of this festival in their lives. Sule shared, "Since childhood, we have always come to Baramati for Diwali celebrations. The entire Pawar family is together on Diwali."The festivities in Baramati are a cherished tradition for the Pawar family, bringing them together to celebrate the festival of lights.
The Pawar clan last year maintained their annual Diwali celebration gathering with NCP(SP) patriarch Sharad Pawar and his daughter, and Member of Parliament, Supriya Sule attending bhau beej festivities at Deputy Deputy Chief Minister and ‘rebel’ Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar’s farmhouse in Katewadi in Baramati district.The Pawar family, led by octogenarian Sharad Pawar, has congregated every year to celebrate Diwali.
Maharashtra is all set to witness direct clashes between the Sharad Pawar-headed NCP and that of his nephew-turned-bête noire Ajit Pawar on at least 36 of the 288 seats in the upcoming Maharashtra elections. Among the clashes, the one most keenly watched will be in Baramati, where Ajit Pawar will lock horns with his brother’s son and political greenhorn Yugendra Pawar. Pawar Jr has been trained by not just veteran neta Sharad Pawar but also his daughter Supriya Sule who is a four-time MP from Baramati. Voters in this Pawar turf will now have to pick between Ajit Pawar’s experience and Yugendra’s ability to uphold the dignity of the original NCP.It was 2023 when the NCP split as Ajit Pawar left the party with majority MLAs and joined the ruling Mahayuti alliance. He also claimed the position of NCP president, as well as the party’s name and its electoral symbol. Later, the Election Commission of India (ECI) awarded the party name and symbol to the faction headed by Ajit Pawar, calling it the “original” NCP purely because of the number game.