The death of her husband, NCP president and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, in a plane crash has suddenly put Sunetra Pawar as the center of Maharashtra Politics.The tragedy has also caused a new setback in the ruling alliance and within the opposing Pawar family groups. One day after the disaster, representatives from Ajit Pawar’s NCP started making the case in public that she should be brought into the state cabinet and given a bigger role in the party. This development was happening at the same time, there were rumours of reconciliation between the two NCP factions.
Narhari Zirwal, a senior NCP leader and minister in Maharashtra, stated that it was “people’s wish” for Sunetra Pawar, a member of the Rajya Sabha, to join the state ministry. He called her “vahini”. After the funeral in Baramti, Zirwal said, “We will talk to our leadership about it (including Sunetra in the cabinet) and make a decision,” as quoted by PTI.
Who is Sunetra Pawar?
Sunetra Pawar is a Rajya Sabha member. She was married to Ajit Pawar, who was the president of the NCP and the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra. She contested in the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Baramati on an NCP ticket but lost to Supriya Sule, who is Sharad Pawar’s daughter and the NCP (SP) working president. Sunetra comes from a political family, as she is the daughter of former Maharashtra minister Padamsinh Bajirao Patil. She is originally from Dharashiv of the Marathwada region. Some officials in Ajit Pawar’s NCP have said that she should step forward to continue on his political legacy and lead party workers.
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What does this indicate for the NCP’s next step?
The argument is being portrayed as both feeling and succession inside the party. Ajit Pawar’s close friend Pramod Hindurao mentioned that Sunetra “should carry on her husband’s legacy and take care of the party workers,” as quoted by PTI.
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More and more people in the NCP want her to be the party president and the leader of the parliamentary party. This would also project her as the top candidate for the Deputy Chief Minister’s job in the BJP-led Mahayuti administration. “It will make sure that the Pawar family’s political legacy lives on,” Zirwal stated.
The discussion about the succession is also about who has power in the administration. As per a report by the Indian Express, the NCP is unlikely to give up the post of Deputy Chief Minister, even though it seems inclined to give up the Finance portfolio that Ajit Pawar was in charge of. Party leaders have stated that there will be a meeting of the legislative party shortly. Where Sunetra’s name will likely be put ahead as the leader of the parliamentary party. |
