Overview
- Congress withdrew its nominee on Thursday, the final day for withdrawals, removing any major-party challenge as polling on April 23 will still proceed with several independents in the fray.
- Sunetra Pawar phoned state Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal multiple times and met party president Mallikarjun Kharge, while NCP leaders Chhagan Bhujbal and Dhananjay Munde, Rohit Pawar, and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis pressed for a retreat.
- Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule urged an uncontested path as a mark of respect, invoking Maharashtra’s occasional practice of unopposed bypolls after a sitting leader’s death.
- The Congress had linked any withdrawal to an FIR into Ajit Pawar’s fatal plane crash, with leaders noting Karnataka registered a case as calls for a deeper probe in Maharashtra continue.
- Family and alliance strains surfaced after Parth Pawar’s jab at Congress drew sharp pushback from the party and public disapproval from Sharad Pawar’s camp, underscoring tensions even as Sunetra Pawar becomes the overwhelming favorite in the Pawar stronghold.