Pune: Deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar on Sunday said she comes from a family that introduced Maharashtra’s first policy for women and her work should not be judged on the basis of gender.Sunetra launched her Baramati bypoll campaign on Sunday. She began by offering prayers at the Lord Hanuman temple in Kanheri village, about 6 km from Baramati town. The family tradition was started by Sharad Pawar in 1967 and followed by Ajit Pawar and Supriya Sule. In 2024, for the Lok Sabha elections too, Sunetra had begun her campaign from Kanheri, then along with Ajit Pawar. She had contested against Supriya and lost.Earlier in the day, the deputy CM paid tributes to her late husband at the Ajit Pawar memorial in Vidya Pratishthan, Baramati. Sunetra may be contesting an election from Baramati for the second time, but it was an emotional moment for her and the party workers in the constituency on Sunday.She addressed a rally later and said, “Many had doubts about my ability to fulfil responsibilities since I am a woman. However, the blessings of Ajitdada, reflected through the people of Baramati, has given me the strength to stand firm and continue fighting. I am the daughter-in-law of a family that gave the state its first policy for women. I believe my work should not be judged on the basis of my gender.”Sunetra was referring to the decision when, during Sharad Pawar’s tenure as the CM, the state govt had introduced 33% reservation for women in local self-govt bodies.Her son Jay was seen campaigning with her, but no other politically active members of the Pawar family — including Sharad Pawar, Supriya, Rohit or Yugendra — participated, even though the NCP (SP) has declared its support to SunetraThe deputy CM said this would be the first assembly election in Baramati without Ajit Pawar. The former deputy CM died in a plane crash in Baramati on Jan 28, leading to the bypoll. Among the NCP functionaries present for the campaign were ministers Dattatray Bharne, Sana Malik, Aditi Tatkare and several MLAs.Sunetra also paid tribute to singer Asha Bhosle, who passed away in Mumbai, during her speech.The deputy CM assured she would address concerns of the people — from ensuring adequate water for farmers, addressing law and order issues to uninterrupted power supply — in the assembly constituency. She said that with her husband’s death, everyone in Baramati feels like they have lost a member of their own family and are yet to recover from the loss.“Ajitdada passed away while serving the people. Everyone saw that several papers were scattered at the accident site. These were applications and proposals for various public works. He was working for his people till the very last moment of his life. He has left behind a legacy of service to people, not just in Baramati, but the whole of Maharashtra,” she said, adding that she will continue to carry forward the legacy. She said it will be ensured that all of Ajitdada’s promises of development works are fulfilled.Sunetra, who is also the national president of the NCP, further said that none of the party workers and their contributions would be neglected. “I will personally take note of it. Every party worker will be taken into confidence before any major decision is taken in the future,” she said.Aditi Tatkare said, “It is unfortunate for us and the state that we could not have a CM like Ajitdada. I hope his dream will now be fulfilled by Sunetra vahini.Bhujbal supports SunetraSenior NCP leader and state minister for food and civil supplies Chhagan Bhujbal said on Sunday that every political party aspires to see its leader become the CM. Speaking to reporters in Nashik, Bhujbal expressed his support for Sunetra for the top post and said several states have successfully been led by women.
