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Sonawane, lovingly known as Bajrang Bappa by his admirers, reaffirmed his commitment to Sharad Pawar. He questioned Mitkari's position and said, "Who is Amol Mitkari? Is he an operator at the bungalow of Dada (Ajit Pawar)? I don't know, we should ask (him). The (call) record of who called Ajit Pawar will be with the operator."

Sonawane emphasised his loyalty to Sharad Pawar, adding, "Eight MPs of Sharad Pawar were elected in Lok Sabha elections from Maharashtra. If an MP like me remains in contact with someone, people will beat him. Even my wife and father will beat me. But those with just one MP can contact Sharad Pawar."

Sonawane defeated BJP candidate Pankaja Munde from Beed, one of eight NCP MPs from Maharashtra who won under Sharad Pawar's leadership. The Ajit Pawar-led NCP gained only one seat in the elections.

Who is Bajrang Sonawane?

NCP (SP) leader Bajrang Sonawane had contested the Lok Sabha election in 2019 as well however he lost to Dr Pritam Munde who had secured 6.78 lakh votes. 

Sonawane, who is chairman of the Yesdeshwar Cooperative Sugar Mill and is part of a cooperative movement in the district, has also been a member of the District Council of Beed.

In an earlier interview, Sonawane told mid-day.com, "I will work on increasing the income of farmers. I will also work on irrigation and on provision of drinking water. Employment is another issue that needs to be urgently addressed. I will work to start industries in Beed. This constituency needs a mega-dam project which will give water for irrigation, drinking and industries, too. To start businesses, we need a rail network, which I will work on. I want to see that the youth of Beed don’t migrate for jobs. If they get a good income from agriculture and get a job here, why will they move?"