Parth Pawar, a leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Maharashtra, declared on Monday that his party will not reach out to the Indian National Congress to seek an unopposed victory in the upcoming assembly by-election in Baramati. This election is significant as it follows the death of Ajit Pawar in a plane crash on January 28. Parth's comments come as a response to the Congress's decision to field Akash More as their candidate, which undermines the NCP's hopes for an uncontested election. He expressed disappointment over the decline of the Congress party in Maharashtra, stating that the NCP would not make any calls to request the withdrawal of nominations. Despite his stance, other senior NCP leaders, including Sunil Tatkare, have indicated that they are still attempting to engage with Congress leadership for a consensus on an unopposed election. The ruling coalition, Mahayuti, had previously called for an uncontested by-election as a tribute to Ajit Pawar, but the Congress's decision to enter the race complicates matters.