Pune: NCP neta Jay Pawar on Thursday said his mother deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar would contest the 2029 Baramati assembly election and expressed hope that she would emerge as the chief ministerial face.Speaking to reporters after holding a janata darbar in Baramati — an initiative earlier started by his father Ajit Pawar — Jay said, “During my recent interactions with colleagues and party workers, many said they wanted to see Ajitdada as chief minister at least once. Now Vahini (Sunetra Pawar) is also working hard. I think she will contest the 2029 assembly election from Baramati and we all hope she becomes the CM.”Jay was responding to questions about the Pawar family’s likely candidate from Baramati in 2029. His cousin Yugendra Pawar, who had contested against Ajit Pawar in the 2024 assembly election on an NCP (SP) ticket, had earlier said the voters of Baramati would decide their future representative. Sunetra, who was also elected national president of the NCP following the death of Ajit Pawar in a plane crash on Jan 28, was elected to the assembly from Baramati in the bypoll held last month.Jay had earlier said there was growing demand among party workers and local residents for him to contest the Baramati seat. However, on Thursday, he said he currently wanted to work among the people as a party worker, which was the reason behind starting the janata darbar initiative.He said the janata darbar would now be held every Thursday to address issues faced by residents, similar to the public outreach meetings earlier conducted by his father Ajit Pawar. On Thursday, several people from the Baramati constituency approached Jay with their grievances, following which he contacted officials concerned from the state and district administration and sought immediate resolution of the issues.
