The Baramati seat in Pune district on Saturday took centre stage in Maharashtra's Lok Sabha battle after the Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar factions of the Nationalist Congress Party announced their candidates and made it into a 'Pawar versus Pawar' affair.

The NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) has renominated three-time MP Supriya Sule, who is the NCP founder's daughter, while her opponent will be debutant Sunetra Pawar, the wife of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.

Sule and Ajit Pawar are cousins and Sunetra Pawar is the sitting MP's sister-in-law.

"It will be a very tough choice for voters and party workers to choose between two Pawars. It is a contest they would never have imagined before July 2 last year," said Madan Devkate, a local leader bearing allegiance to the deputy CM.

Ajit Pawar and eight MLAs joined the Eknath Shinde government on July 2 last year, resulting in a split in the NCP.

There is immense respect for Sharad Pawar but looking at the future and the kind of work Ajit Pawar has done in the region, the latter has the edge in the poll battle this time, Devkate claimed.

"The older generation is with Sharad Pawar saheb, while the younger lot roots for Ajitdada," said local resident and teacher Manoj Wagh.

The Baramati Lok Sabha constituency, which comprises Baramati, Indapur, Daund, Purandar, Bhor and Khadakwasla assembly seats, has been a bastion of Sharad Pawar since the 1960s.

Ajit Pawar has been MLA from Baramati since 1991, with his victory in 2019 being among the most crushing in the state's poll history.

He garnered 83 per cent of the vote share and defeated the BJP's Gopichand Padalkar by a whopping 1,65,000 votes.

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