Late Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar’s son, Parth Pawar, is all set to enter the Rajya Sabha. However, according to reports, he is not interested in the seat held by his mother and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, as it offers only a partial term that expires in 2028. Instead, reports say that Parth has his eyes set on former Union Minister and NCP founder Sharad Pawar’s Rajya Sabha seat for a full six-year tenure.
This was reportedly discussed at a closed-door meeting between Sharad Pawar and the sons of late Ajit Pawar -- Parth and Jay -- on the premises of Vidya Pratishthan in Baramati on Wednesday. The meeting lasted about one and a half hours, reports said. There was no immediate official word on the agenda of the meeting. However, speculations are rife that the discussions might have been regarding the merger of the two NCP factions.
NCP-SP MLA Rohit Pawar, meanwhile, said that Sunetra Pawar will herself speak on the merger after the mourning period. “Let the 13-day mourning period pass, and Sunetra Kaki herself will speak on the matter,” he said. “For us, it is emotionally difficult to take any political stand during this period of mourning. After February 9, we will be able to speak freely on all aspects, as it is important to take Ajit Dada's wishes to the people. I am not big enough to comment on a merger,” he added.
Meanwhile, another speculation doing the rounds is that Parth is likely to be the new NCP chief. After Ajit Pawar's tragic death in a plane crash on January 28, the post has been lying vacant. It was earlier reported that senior party leader Praful Patel had been appointed the NCP chief; however, this turned out to be false. Patel clarified that he was not in the race to become the national president of the party.
"The Nationalist Congress Party is a democratic institution. A decision of this magnitude will only be made by consulting our senior leadership and MLAs, engaging with our dedicated party office-bearers, and respecting the sentiments and collective will of all our party members. Being a national party, we follow the established process in these matters," Patel wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
