Sharad Pawar, president of Nationalist Congress Party (SP faction), on Tuesday said he will be unable to cast his vote in the April 23 Baramati assembly bypoll due to ill-health, and urged voters to support Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, who is contesting from the ruling Mahayuti.
In a statement, Pawar said it was with a ‘heavy heart’ that he had to skip voting in Baramati this time, as doctors had advised him against travelling outside Mumbai following a ‘sudden deterioration’ in his health.
Sources said the 85-year-old leader was admitted to Breach Candy Hospital two days ago for a medical check-up. The bypoll, necessitated after the death of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP leader Ajit Pawar in a plane crash on January 28, will be held on April 23, with results scheduled for May 4.
There is no candidate from the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) against Sunetra Pawar, who leads the ruling NCP faction. The NCP (SP) has also decided not to field a candidate, while ally Congress initially nominated Akash More but later withdrew his candidature. A total of 23 candidates, including Sunetra Pawar, are in the fray.
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Pawar said he had intended to travel to Baramati to vote, maintaining a tradition he has followed since 1967, but was hospitalised after his condition worsened. Doctors, he said, have strictly advised against any travel outside Mumbai.
“I have exercised my right to vote in the Baramati constituency continuously since 1967. This time too, I had planned to come and vote as per tradition. However, due to my health condition, I have been admitted to a hospital in Mumbai. Doctors have advised me not to travel outside the city,” he said.
He added that he was ‘deeply saddened’ to miss voting and had explored alternative arrangements with election authorities, but was informed that no such provisions exist.
Pawar also confirmed that his party has extended support to Sunetra Pawar in the bypoll, calling it a tribute to the late Ajit Pawar and appealing to voters in Baramati to support her as a mark of respect.
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