Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to tour Sharad Pawar’s bastion as part of BJP’s ‘Mission Baramati’ 

Given Baramati’s strong identification with ‘Brand Pawar’, the BJP has had a tough time making inroads in this constituency.

After aiding Eknath Shinde in his coup which split Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is now eyeing Mr. Thackeray’s ally, NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s bastion of Baramati Lok Sabha constituency in Pune district.

Leaving no stone unturned to breach the impregnable constituency from the Pawar clan, senior BJP leader and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is expected to visit the constituency in Pune district between August 16 and 18 in a bid to enthuse BJP cadre.

Ms. Sitharaman, who is expected to visit the Assembly segments in Baramati, will be interacting with the BJP workers and take stock of the party’s strength in a constituency which has been a stronghold of the Pawar family since the NCP’s formation in 1999.

The visit is part of the BJP’s ‘Pravas’ campaign to shore up its base in 144 Lok Sabha constituencies ahead of the 2024 general election. 16 of these constituencies are in Maharashtra.  

Along with Ms. Sitharaman, Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Renuka Singh will be visiting Shirur Lok Sabha constituency during the same period. The constituency is currently represented by NCP MP Amol Kolhe.

Of the four LS seats in Pune district, the BJP holds just one – Pune (comprised of mainly the urban segments), the NCP holds Baramati and Shirur while Maval is held by the Shiv Sena’s Shrirang Barne.

However, an advantage for the BJP this time is that Mr. Barne has now joined the rebel Eknath Shinde camp, which is allied to the saffron party.