Baramati: Sule fights BJP efforts to breach Pawar bastion
Pune: NCP leader Supriya Sule weathered the `Modi wave' of 2014 to retain the family pocket borough of Baramati, though by a reduced margin, against Mahadev Jankar of the Rashtriya Samaj Paksh (RSP), a BJP ally.
In 2019, BJP president Amit Shah has set his workers a target of winning 45 out of 48 seats in Maharashtra including Baramati. The saffron party has fielded a candidate on its own symbol, sending a message that it intends to give a tough fight to the Pawars on their home turf.
The NCP has been winning from Baramati Lok Sabha seat since 1999.
To take on Sule, the BJP has given ticket to Kanchan Kul, wife of Rahul Kul, the RSP MLA from Daund, who wields a considerable political clout in the area.
Sule, daughter of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, had defeated Jankar by more than 70,000 votes in 2014. The victory margin was comfortable, but much smaller than in 2009 when she had won by more than three lakh votes.
This time, Sule is leaving no stone unturned, reaching out to people across the constituency which covers assembly segments of Baramati, Daund, Indapur, Bhor, Khadakwasla and Purandar.
While the core of the constituency is made up of rural areas, the fringe areas of Khadakwasla, Balewadi, IT hub Hinjawadi alongwith Dhanakwadi and Chandani Chowk which are part of Pune cityhave urban voters.
NCP's Pune district chief Pradip Garatkar said the Modi wave and anti-incumbency did have some impact in 2014, but now people have experienced the BJP rule and are disappointed.
"Farmers are in great distress. There is a lot of anger against both the state and the Centre," he said.
Sule has worked very hard in the last five years, he said. "We have a very strong organisation. NCP workers have a strong presence at the booth-level," he added.
Garatkar denied that the BJP fielding a candidate on on its own `lotus' symbol will make any difference.
Sule, a recipient of the best parliamentarian award, has regained ground by addressing people's issues and ensuring implementation of various schemes, he said, claiming that she will win by at least 3 lakh votes.
MLA Rahul Kul, on the other hand, expressed confidence that the development works carried out by the BJP-led governments in the state and the Centre will tilt the scales in his wife's favour.
"We want here the kind of development that has taken place elsewhere in the state, which is possible only if the BJP candidate wins," he told PTI.
"At present development is restricted only to Baramati town and adjoining areas," he claimed.
"While our priority in urban areas will be to address traffic congestion, waste management, bad roads and other urban issues, in rural areas the focus will be on the issue of irrigation," he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had not addressed any rally in Baramati in 2014, but this time state leaders were trying to organise a Modi rally in the constituency, Kul said.
Prakash Pawar, a financial adviser and a resident of Kirkatwadi village in Khadakwasla area, said being on the outskirts of Pune city, it is grappling with issues of roads, water supply, sanitation and waste management.
Pawar praised Sule, saying she promptly looked into issues related to roads and waste management whenever they approached her, Aditya Joshi, a resident of Chandani Chowk, said she was approachable but needed to increase her outreach in the urban areas.
Of the six Assembly segments in the constituency, two are represented by the NCP (Baramati and Indapur) and one each by RSP (Daund), BJP (Khadakwasla), Shiv Sena (Purandar) and Congress (Bhor).
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EAM Jaishankar meets Jamaican PM, gifts over 10 BHISHM Cubes
Kingston (PTI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and discussed ways to further deepen "political, economic and people-to-people cooperation."
Jaishankar also conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Holness.
"Pleased to call on Prime Minister @AndrewHolnessJM in Kingston. Conveyed the greetings of PM @narendramodi," Jaishankar posted on X.
"Discussed deepening our political, economic and people-to-people cooperation. Value his commitment towards further strengthening India-Jamaica relations," the post further read.
Also, the external affairs minister handed over 10 BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita & Maitri) Cubes as a gift to Jamaica.
"Formally handed over 10 BHISHM Cubes as a gift from India to Jamaica, in the presence of PM @AndrewHolnessJM, Health Minister @christufton and FM @kaminajsmith," Jaishankar posted on X.
"The BHISHM Cube mobile hospital system, designed for rapid deployment, will help Jamaica during disasters and emergencies. The gift of these cubes is a statement of friendship, a commitment to disaster preparedness, and an outcome of innovation," the post said.
Jaishankar arrived in Kingston on Saturday evening, marking the first leg of his nine-day tour of Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, aimed at further strengthening India's strategic and cultural ties with the Caribbean nations.
Earlier in the day, he interacted with the Indian diaspora and discussed India's ongoing transformation in infrastructure, human development and technology-driven governance and entrepreneurship with them.
He also highlighted the cricket bond between both countries as India gifted a scoreboard to Jamaica.
A scoreboard was dedicated at Sabina Park in Kingston. It is the home of the Jamaica cricket team and is the only Test cricket ground in the Caribbean island nation.
The minister expressed hope that the new scoreboard would witness many memorable innings, including those symbolising the enduring friendship between the two countries.
Cricket has long been a strong cultural bridge between India and Jamaica, which is part of the West Indies cricket team.
Jamaican players, including Chris Gayle, Courtney Walsh and Michael Holding, have played a major role in shaping the legacy of West Indies cricket in the international arena, contributing to its dominance in earlier decades and its continued global appeal.
