Hours after Ajit Pawar’s funeral, NCP turns focus to future leadership; meets wife Sunetra Pawar
A meeting held in Baramati just hours after the funeral of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has sparked intense speculation over the future leadership of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), following the senior leader’s death in a plane crash earlier this week.
Senior NCP leaders Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal and Dhananjay Munde met Ajit Pawar’s wife, Sunetra Pawar, on Thursday.
According to NDTV sources, the leaders urged her to take on an active political role, including the post of deputy chief minister. However, Bhujbal later described the meeting as a courtesy visit and denied that any political discussions had taken place so soon after the tragedy.
Despite the denials, voices within the party have openly backed Sunetra Pawar’s entry into the state cabinet.
Maharashtra FDA Minister and senior NCP leader Narhari Zirwal said there was widespread sentiment among party workers and the public that she should be given a ministerial role.
NCP State Vice President Suresh Ghule went further, urging senior leaders to consider appointing her as the party’s national president and nominating her for the deputy chief minister’s post.
Sunetra Pawar is currently a Rajya Sabha MP. If she assumes the role of deputy chief minister, she would need to be elected to either the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly or the Legislative Council.
Meanwhile, speculation is growing over who the party may field for the upcoming by-election to the Baramati Assembly constituency, a seat Ajit Pawar had represented since 1991. Party insiders suggest that a member of the Pawar family—possibly Ajit Pawar’s sons Parth Pawar or Jay Pawar—could be the candidate.
Political analysts say Ajit Pawar’s sudden death has created a significant leadership vacuum within the NCP.
Groomed by party founder Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar was widely regarded as a mass leader with unmatched administrative authority. Analysts believe leaders such as Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare may attempt to consolidate control, unless a reunion with the Sharad Pawar-led faction reshapes the party’s future.
The urgency to resolve leadership questions is being driven by recent electoral setbacks.
The NCP failed to secure control of key municipal corporations, including Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, raising concerns about erosion of its urban support base.
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