Sunetra Pawar is set to step into Maharashtra’s power centre days after Ajit Pawar’s tragic death. With an oath ceremony planned and leadership changes brewing inside the NCP, the move could reshape state politics and revive reunion talks.
Sunetra Pawar to be sworn in as Maha Deputy CM tomorrow, days after Ajit Pawar's death
Mumbai: Sunetra Pawar, wife of late Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar, is set to take oath as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra on Saturday, sources said. The development follows Ajit Pawar’s death in a tragic plane crash near Baramati earlier this week, which created a leadership vacuum within the party and the state government.
According to sources, the swearing-in ceremony is expected to take place at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai around 5 pm. Preparations for the event are already underway.
Ahead of the oath-taking, the NCP will convene a legislative party meeting at 2 pm on Saturday. During the meeting, Sunetra Pawar is likely to be elected as the leader of the party’s legislature wing, paving the way for her formal induction into the Devendra Fadnavis-led government.
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Sources also indicated that senior NCP leader Praful Patel is expected to be appointed as the national president of the party, marking a significant organisational reshuffle following Ajit Pawar’s demise.
Ajit Pawar, who was the longest-serving Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, held key portfolios including finance, planning and excise. His sudden death on January 28, after the aircraft he was travelling in crashed near the Baramati airport, sent shockwaves across Maharashtra’s political landscape.
Senior leaders from across parties attended his funeral in Baramati on Thursday, reflecting his stature in state politics.
In the aftermath of Ajit Pawar’s death, discussions around a possible reunification of the two NCP factions have resurfaced. A close aide of the late leader said Ajit Pawar had been keen on bringing the factions together before his death.
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The two NCP groups had recently contested municipal elections in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad together, though the Bharatiya Janata Party emerged as the dominant force in both civic bodies. Ajit Pawar’s faction secured a majority of the NCP’s seats in the polls, while the Sharad Pawar-led group won only a few.
Sunetra Pawar’s induction into the government is being seen as a move to ensure continuity in leadership and stability within the ruling alliance. With organisational changes and potential reunification talks gaining momentum, Maharashtra’s political landscape is expected to see further developments in the coming days.
