After the unfortunate demise of the state's Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, the Baramati Assembly seat has officially become vacant, and in this context, the Central Election Commission has started administrative movements for the by-election. According to the Representation of the People Act, 1950, it is mandatory to hold a by-election within six months if any assembly seat becomes vacant. Accordingly, a special voter list revision (SIR) program has been announced for the Baramati Assembly constituency.
According to the instructions of the Election Commission, emphasis is being placed on making the voter list more transparent, accurate, and up-to-date. Names of migrated, deceased, and duplicate voters will be removed and newly eligible voters will be included. The commission has clarified that this process will make the upcoming by-election more reliable and transparent.
The Central Election Commission has fixed January 1, 2026, as the 'eligibility date'. Accordingly, those young people who have completed 18 years of age by this date will get the right to vote for the first time. On Monday, February 9, 2026, the consolidated draft voter list of the Baramati Assembly constituency will be published. Voters will have the opportunity to check their names in this list.
If there are errors in the name or if the name is not registered, citizens can file claims and objections from February 9 to February 25, 2026. All received objections will be scrutinized and resolved by March 6. After that, the final voter list will be published on March 10, 2026. After the final list is announced, the by-election schedule is likely to be announced.
Meanwhile, significant changes are seen in Baramati's politics following Ajit Pawar's demise. His wife, Sunetra Pawar, has resigned from the Rajya Sabha membership and taken the oath as the Deputy Chief Minister of the state. According to constitutional provisions, she needs to be elected as a member of the Legislative Assembly within six months to retain the Deputy Chief Minister position. Therefore, there is a strong possibility in political circles that Sunetra Pawar will contest the Baramati Assembly by-election.
While the political battle in Baramati during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections is still being discussed, this by-election is considered to be another decisive phase in Baramati's political history. After the completion of the Election Commission's SIR process, political movements in Baramati are likely to gain further momentum.