Pune: Congress on Sunday entered the fray for the Baramati assembly bypoll, naming Akash More as its candidate in a move that is set to turn the contest into a multi-cornered fight despite efforts by NCP and its Mahayuti allies to push for an uncontested election.More, a lawyer and the son of former MLC Vijayrao More, was among the prominent aspirants shortlisted by the party after a round of internal consultations and interviews. He had previously contested from Baramati in the 2014 assembly election on a Congress ticket, finishing fourth with 4,013 votes.The byelection was necessitated following the death of former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash on Jan 28. His wife, Sunetra Pawar, who later took oath as deputy chief minister and is now serving as the national president of NCP, is set to contest from Baramati — a constituency long dominated by the Pawar family.More told TOI he would seek justice for Ajit Pawar, claiming the crash was “suspicious”. He also alleged that a fair probe was not being conducted. When asked about reports that there was an emotional wave in favour of Ajit Pawar’s family, More said he was confident about his prospects. “The atmosphere in Baramati is different this time. Issues like inflation, the LPG crisis due to the West Asia war, and rising property tax will influence voters,” he added.Congress’s move comes even as NCP leaders have been advocating for an uncontested election. On Saturday, Ajit Pawar’s son Jay Pawar had said the bypoll was “emotional” for people and that there was a demand to keep it unopposed. He added that the party was, however, prepared for a contest, if required.NCP state president Sunil Tatkare had also indicated that the party could reach out to Congress leadership, including Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, to explore the possibility of an unopposed poll.Election officials said that as many as 19 candidates have filed nominations so far for the Baramati bypoll, including Abhijeet Bichukale, a former Bigg Boss contestant. The last date for filing nominations for both seats, Baramati and Rahuri, is April 6, while candidates can withdraw their nominations till April 9. Polling will be held on April 23, and counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.More said Congress state president Harshwardhan Sapkal is likely to reach Baramati on Monday to file his nomination.NCP functionaries criticised the Congress’s decision, calling it a breach of alliance norms. They pointed out that Baramati has traditionally been an NCP (SP) seat within the Maha Vikas Aghadi, and the party had decided not to field a candidate against Sunetra Pawar. “It was unfair for Congress to announce a candidate when NCP (SP) chose not to contest. We hoped for an unopposed election as a tribute to Ajit dada, but we are ready for a fight,” said Kiran Gujar, an NCP functionary from Baramati close to the Pawar family.Meanwhile, Congress is likely to support the NCP (SP) candidate in the Rahuri bypoll, which was necessitated by the death of MLA Shivajirao Kardile.
