Ajit Pawar ahead of nephew Yugendra Pawar in Baramati
What's the story
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar secured an early lead in the Baramati assembly seat against his nephew Yugendra Pawar of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar).
The election is high-stakes for Ajit after he broke away from the Sharad-led NCP last year to join the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena coalition.
Election aftermath
Lok Sabha poll results fuel intra-party rivalry
The contest comes after a setback for Ajit's faction in the Lok Sabha polls, where they managed to win just one of the four contested seats.
The Sharad-led NCP, on the other hand, performed well, winning eight out of 10 constituencies.
Ahead of the elections, Ajit accepted his mistake of fielding his wife against Supriya Sule in previous elections, but was confident of winning his seat this time.
Yugendra also regretted contesting against his uncle but stressed loyalty to Sharad.
Pre-election sentiments
Candidates express regret, confidence ahead of elections
"We need to stay with Pawar sahab because he is the founder of the NCP," Yugendra said.
Sharad also made an emotional appeal for Yugendra, advocating a new generation to take over leadership.
He recounted his own political journey, and highlighted Ajit's contributions before endorsing Yugendra as part of the next generation.
"First, it was my generation, later it was Ajit dada and now the next generation is of Yugendra Pawar," he said.