Maharashtra police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) on Wednesday gave clean chit to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra Pawar in connection with an alleged Rs 25,000 crore MSCB bank scam case.

In a prompt reaction criticising EOW's decision, the Opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) said, "PM Modi had raised the allegation and said that it was a corrupt family (the Pawars). But, today she has been given a clean chit. All the leaders who were accused and joined the BJP have been given a clean-chit. EOW stated in its closure report that it did not see any criminal act in this case."

Sunetra-Supriya battle in Maha

NCP candidate Sunetra Pawar this time is pitted against her sister-in-law and Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule from the Baramati Lok Sabha seat of Maharashtra.

Sule is the candidate of NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar). Baramati, from where Ajit Pawar is an MLA, is the home turf of the Pawar family.

Sunetra's candidacy follows an intense period of campaigning in Baramati, where she has been actively engaging with locals and party members. The move by NCP (Ajit Pawar) comes as part of their strategy to assert their presence in a constituency that has long been dominated by the Pawar family.

Baramati, a constituency that has remained under the influence of the Pawar family for over 55 years, holds immense significance in Maharashtra's political landscape. Sharad Pawar first won the Maharashtra Assembly polls from Baramati in 1967 and continued to retain the seat through subsequent elections. Supriya Sule has been representing the constituency since 2009, further solidifying the family's grip on the region.