The Pawar faction’s Baramati headquarters is now just 1,500 square feet in size

BARAMATI: The seasoned politician’s hometown is too small for Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SCP). Currently, the celebration is housed in a 1,500-square-foot hall that was once an ancient wada.

In the crowded Bhigwan Chowk office, a few young people are attending party leader Supriya Sule’s electioneering while also welcoming guests. Standing towering behind the building is a banyan tree.

However, after the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) split in July 2023, he found it difficult to secure premises for his party office. In the end, the celebration moved to a new location in February.

“After receiving threats from an “invisible force” in Baramati, those who had previously agreed to grant us space for the office decided against it two days later. This occurred several times. We finally established our office at Bhigwan Chowk two months ago,” NCP (SCP) Baramati city president and owner of the party office space, Sandeep Gujar, told TOI.

Conversely, there are two large offices for Ajit Pawar’s NCP in the town. One has several stories. After a court dispute, his side obtained the party’s name and emblem and proceeded to seize control of the offices. Each office-bearer has a private cabin here.

The NCP (SCP) office, in comparison, is bare-bones—just a table and a few seats. The seats are occupied by youthful party activists who assist voters in finding their names on the registers. “The party workers were confused after the split in NCP,” a senior office-bearer said. It was thought that Ajit and Sharad Pawar would reconcile quickly. For a considerable amount of time, Pawar Saheb’s supporters lacked a local party office.”

Following the split, 38 of the 39 former corporators of the Baramati Municipal Council backed Ajit Pawar. Sharad Pawar was joined only by Satyavrat Kale, the party’s current youth president for the Baramati unit.

“After the split, Ajit Pawar threatened our supporters. However, people began coming out to support the NCP (SCP) when this office was established, Kale told TOI.

The deputy president of the NCP (SCP) Baramati unit, Sushil Jagtap, said, “We began with a little office. Soon, there will be a larger one. There will be a change in leadership in Baramati because the Pawar family—Rohit, Yugendra, and Sharmila Pawar—supports us.”