Power & Pawars: Behind coin-toss electoral showdown in sugarland

Pune's sugar mills shape local politics and elections; a number of prominent candidates in the region are tied to such factories. PRACHI PISAL reports from the ground

- PRACHI PISAL

Pune district, home to over 21 sugar factories—12 of which are cooperatives—stands as Maharashtra's third-largest sugar producer, contributing 12.17 percent to the state's total output, according to the Vasantdada Sugar Institute. Once envisioned as an engine for rural empowerment, these influential sugar industries have now become a potent political tool, shaping electoral strategies and vote banks.

"Operating sugar factories is beneficial," says Ajit, a farmer and factory worker. "Workers and farmers are financially tied to the mills, which also employ people across constituencies." These intricate connections between economics and politics are sharply visible in Baramati, a hotspot for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections.

Here, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar, contesting under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Mahayuti banner, is pitted against his nephew Yugendra Pawar, a Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) candidate backed by Sharad Pawar. The Pawars' influence over the region's sugar industry is indisputable.

The Pawars dominate the local sugar industry: Ajit Pawar's career began with his 1982 election to a sugar factory board, while Sharad Pawar's relatives—Rajendra and Rohit Pawar—run Baramati Agro Limited, a prominent sugar mill. According to a report by Maharashtra Times, the companies under Ajit Pawar have bought several sugar factories.