Deputy chief minister and NCP president Sunetra Pawar has reached out to Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, seeking support for the April 23 bypoll to the Baramati assembly seat, which she will contest.

Pawar called Thackeray on Friday to discuss the issue. The development was confirmed by Shiv Sena (UBT) secretary and MLC Milind Narvekar and party MP Sanjay Raut.

"Deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar called Uddhav Thackeray on Friday. There was a discussion on the Baramati bypoll," Raut said. He also said that Thackeray will hold a press conference and announce his decision about it.

Sources said Thackeray is not averse to extending support to Sunetra Pawar, citing his past ties with the late Ajit Pawar and the Pawar family. The bypoll has been necessitated following Ajit Pawar’s death in a plane crash on January 28.

He was an eight-time MLA from Baramati and had retained the seat in the 2024 assembly election by a margin of over one lakh votes, defeating his nephew Yugendra Pawar. In 2019, he had won the seat by 1.65 lakh votes.

Shiv Sena (UBT) is part of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), along with the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) and the Congress. The Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) has already said it will not field a candidate against Sunetra Pawar.

However, Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal has said the party will contest the bypoll. The state unit has claimed it has received approval from the party leadership and has begun the process of selecting candidates.

Sunetra Pawar, who took oath as deputy chief minister on January 31, is scheduled to file her nomination papers on April 6.