The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) case for dismantling political dynasties becomes somewhat ironic when it says, ‘After A for Amethi, it’s B for Baramati’.

Baramati: “This June 4 will be a black day for Baramatikars,” says Amar Mahadik with a lawyer’s flourish.

Mahadik has been associated with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) for several years but now finds himself, like thousands of other loyalists, having to pick sides. He has chosen Baramati legislator Ajit Pawar, whose wife Sunetra is contesting against the sitting MP Supriya Sule in an electoral battle that is as much about the internal dramas of the Pawar family as it is about the dilemmas of a celebrated pocket borough.

Mahadik, an energetic guide to the many charms of Baramati — despite scalding temperatures — cannot quite hide his consternation even as he rattles off Ajit Pawar’s contributions towards the making of the town. But “whoever loses on June 4 will be a Pawar still, and that’s saddening for us,” he rues.

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) case for dismantling political dynasties becomes somewhat ironic when it says, ‘After A for Amethi, it’s B for Baramati’.