India: NCP Leaders Push to Project Supriya—Sorry—Sunetra Pawar as Ajit Pawar’s Political Successor
Calls grow to make Rajya Sabha MP Sunetra Pawar Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister after Ajit Pawar’s death
Mumbai: Following the death of Ajit Pawar in a plane crash, voices within the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have grown louder urging his wife and Rajya Sabha MP Sunetra Pawar to take charge of the party. Declaring her as a potential successor, senior NCP minister Narhari Zirwal on Thursday demanded that Sunetra Pawar be appointed Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
Meanwhile, senior party leaders including Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal, Dhananjay Munde, and Sunil Tatkare met Sunetra Pawar to discuss the leadership transition. They reportedly suggested that she should step forward to lead the party, which is currently a part of the ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra alongside the BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.
According to sources, NCP leaders are pressuring for Sunetra Pawar’s elevation as Deputy Chief Minister to fill the void left by Ajit Pawar in the Mahayuti government. If she accepts the position, she would become Maharashtra’s first woman Deputy Chief Minister.
Sunetra Pawar, who is presently a Rajya Sabha MP, may also contest from the Baramati Assembly seat vacated by her late husband if elections are held—marking the beginning of her electoral career.
FDA Minister Narhari Zirwal, considered close to Ajit Pawar, said the public wants Sunetra Pawar to be inducted into the state cabinet. “People want ‘Vahini’ (sister-in-law, referring to Sunetra Pawar) to be made a cabinet minister. We will discuss this with our leadership and take a decision,” he said.
Zirwal also hinted at the possibility of a reunion between NCP and NCP (SP). “Both factions are already together for local body elections. Everyone has realized that staying divided serves no purpose, and we must stay united,” he added.
NCP leader and former minister Nawab Malik emphasized that the final decision on any merger rests with Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar, the chief of NCP (SP). “I cannot predict which direction politics will take. But it is everyone’s wish that the entire family and both parties come together,” Malik said.
Ajit Pawar (66) and four others were killed on Wednesday when a chartered plane crashed at Baramati airport in Pune district. In July 2023, Ajit Pawar had joined the then Eknath Shinde-led government, triggering a split in the NCP founded by his uncle Sharad Pawar.
However, political experts believe that reunifying the NCP factions will not be easy. Several leaders who sided with Ajit Pawar and became ministers in the Mahayuti government were facing ED investigations.
If both NCP factions reunite under Sharad Pawar and he decides to join the BJP-led NDA, these leaders are unlikely to oppose the move. But if Pawar chooses to remain with the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), leaders like Bhujbal, Patel, Tatkare, Hasan Mushrif, and Dhananjay Munde could find themselves in a dilemma. It is also being suggested that some among them may have no option but to join the BJP to safeguard themselves from ongoing investigations.
