The Pawar family is clearly divided. While Ajit Pawar and his family are on one side, all the other Pawars are standing with Sharad Pawar and Sule.
Although she stayed away from active politics and has often expressed reluctance to jump into the political ring in the past, Sunetra was a household name before her candidature because of her social work.
For example, residents of Katewadi credit him for being their village’s ‘Adarsh Gram’, which has won several awards over the years for being a self-sustaining eco village.
Milind said, “In 2001, Sunetra Pawar started development work in Katewadi. There was not a single toilet here. Now we have toilets in every house. We have cement roads, underground drainage, 15,000-20,000 trees planted Are.”
Meanwhile, Swapnil has a different, if not opposite, view.
“Even though Sunetra may have worked for development, the work was initiated by Sharad Pawar. He has always had a keen eye on everything. There is no doubt that Ajit Dada has worked for development. But the seeds of all that work were there, it was not time to leave Saheb, it was necessary to stand with him. Dada decided to leave, but people are standing with Sharad Pawar.
But despite being on opposite sides, both Milind and Swapnil expressed the same view like many Pawar loyalists in Baramati: “Nothing would make us happier than the Pawar family coming together.”
