Baramati: Less than 48 hours after Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash, a power tussle has begun within the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), with the party set to propose Pawar’s wife, Sunetra Pawar, for the post of the state’s deputy chief minister, according to India Today. Sunetra is currently a member of the Rajya Sabha.
Senior NCP leader and Maharashtra FDA Minister Narhari Zirwal on Thursday told news agency PTI that the people want Sunetra Pawar to be brought into the state ministry.
“The two factions are already together. Everyone has realised that there is no point in remaining scattered and have to be together,” Zirwal said on the merger of the two NCP factions.
Reportedly, senior leaders Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal, Dhananjay Munde and Sunil Tatkare have held meetings with Sunetra Pawar as part of internal consultations. In all likelihood, Sunetra will contest from the Baramati seat vacated by Ajit Pawar.
The proposal will include inducting Sunetra Pawar as deputy chief minister. NCP leaders are also expected to meet Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to discuss the proposal and the future course of action.
Sunetra Pawar’s History
Sunetra Pawar is the daughter of former minister and Lok Sabha MP Padma Singh Patil. She married Ajit Pawar in 1985. Sunetra and Ajit have two sons, Parth and Jay Pawar.
Sunetra had contested the Lok Sabha polls against her sister-in-law, Supriya Sule, from Baramati, but lost the election. Sunetra was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha in 2024 after Praful Patel.
Sunetra Pawar is the president of Baramati Textile Company. She is also the CEO of the Environmental Forum of India (EFOI), whose foundation was established in 2010. She is also a trustee of Sharad Pawar’s educational institution, Vidya Pratishthaan. Ajit Pawar’s last rites were held at Vidya Pratishthaan.
