Families & friends stand divided over their choices on voting day

Pune: Amit Galande and his friends had quarrelled the night before and found themselves on opposite sides on the voting day. As a group and as voters in Baramati constituency, they had always campaigned for one person from the Pawar family. But this election, politics divided them. “The debates over who is better started when the NCP split was announced. Soon after, there were fights. Last night too, we had a heated debate about it. We never thought our friends’ group will split over politics. Now that the voting is over, I hope our relations get better,” said Galande.This common refrain ran through other voters too, who expressed discontent and sadness over the familial discord spilling into their own homes and social circles. Rafik (75) and Salim Bagban (64) said their entire family had always voted for the same person for many years. But this year, for the first time, some in the younger generation have rebelled, and it hurt them.Amid a charged atmosphere in Baramati’s political battleground, the voting day spectacle unveiled a captivating narrative — beyond the Pawar lineage, a palpable schism has emerged within every household across the taluka.From familial dinner conversations to community gatherings, fervent debates on electoral allegiance rivalled the scorching sun bearing down upon Baramati, peaking on Tuesday.The “Pawar stronghold” had Supriya Sule, carrying forward her father Sharad Pawar’s political legacy, contesting against her cousin, Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra Pawar, for the Lok Sabha poll. Baramati witnessed a commendable 33% voter turnout by midday, with the overall constituency not far behind at 27.55%, despite the intense political climate. As the day progressed and temperatures soared, the voting percentage in the Baramati assembly surged, registering over 42% turnout at 5pm — significantly higher than the other five assembly constituencies.In a constituency with 2,516 polling stations and over 2.3 million registered voters, the stakes are undeniably high. Sule framed it as a battle for Maharashtra’s pride against perceived Delhi interference, while Ajit Pawar’s camp emphasized Modi’s assurances and development initiatives, cautioning against sentimental pitfalls. At 7.10am on Tuesday, Ajit Pawar, Sunetra and his mother Asha cast their votes at the zilla parishad school in Katewadi. On the allegations of cash for votes in his constituency, Ajit Pawar said he had never resorted to such means in the over seven times that he had contested in elections, adding that he trusted the police machinery and the Election Commission of India. Accompanied by his daughter Supriya, senior Pawar voted but refrained from talking to reporters because of health concerns, as advised by his doctors. He was back as a voter in Baramati after voting for years in Mumbai. After he finished his turn, Sule and the rest of the Pawar family, displayed unity by casting their votes in Baramati town.Sule said she had heard about the cash distribution and other allegations of malpractice in the constituency and expressed her shock at such incidents being reported in a progressive state like Maharashtra. Wheelchair-bound YS Mitre (84), his wife Vijaya (82) and their son Vishwajeet (54), who cast their vote in the “women special polling” booth at RNA Technical High School in Baramati in the afternoon said that they came at the time because they knew the crowd would be thinner in the heat. “It is our responsibility to vote. It feels great when the person we voted for wins the election. We need to vote if we want to get responsible representatives. Bad weather is not an excuse,” the couple said, adding that they felt sad about the Pawar family split. Anjali Thorat, a 44-year-old entrepreneur and her first-time voter daughter Sakshi, said that they both have different views about whom to vote for. “So many students graduate but have no jobs. I want more job opportunities. That is my number one agenda when deciding who to vote for,” Sakshi, a BDS student in Pune, said.Some voters said they simply went by their party affilaitions. Others said they stayed away from voting altogether as they did not want to choose between either of the Pawars.