Next Maharashtra Deputy CM? NCP Turns to Sunetra Pawar; Pushes Ajit Pawar’s Sons for Baramati

New Delhi: Senior NCP leaders have turned to Sunetra Pawar, wife of the late Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, to fill in the vacuum in the party created by his untimely demise in a tragic plane crash. The NCP leaders met with Sunetra Pawar, urging her to return to state politics and take charge of the party, and also pushed for a deputy CM role for her in the state. On Thursday, several senior members of the party met Sunetra at her residence, where they not only offered condolences on her husband's demise but also urged her to join the Mahayuti coalition in Maharashtra and lead Ajit Pawar's faction of the NCP. Senior leaders like Praful Patel, state chief Sunil Tatkare, and cabinet minister Chhagan Bhujbal - were present at this

meeting, sources told TOI. Cabinet minister and Ajit Pawar confidant Narhari Zirwal has publicly backed the move to bring Sunetra Pawar into the state cabinet.Also Read - Sharad Pawar on Nephew Ajit Pawar's Death: Plane Crash Was Accident, Don’t Give It Political Colour“All supporters I have spoken to want Sunetra vahini (sister-in-law) in the state cabinet. I support this view,” Zirwal said in Baramati, adding that he would raise the issue with senior party leaders.Party functionaries said a meeting is expected to be held in Mumbai soon to choose the NCP legislature party leader. “The immediate priority is to stabilise,” a senior party member told the outlet.

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At the grassroots level, especially in Baramati, party office bearers want either of Ajit Pawar’s sons - Parth or Jay - to contest the bypolls, which were triggered by his death.Party insiders said there is a growing belief that Sunetra Pawar could help keep the party united if talks to merge the rival NCP factions fail.“NCP’s identity is inseparable from the Pawar family,” a party functionary said. “So far, the party’s functioning kept revolving around Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar and Supriya Sule. Now with the untimely death of Ajit, many party seniors as well as grassroots workers feel that only his wife Sunetra can take his position.”However, other senior leaders remain cautious and are closely watching whether Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule move towards a reunion of the rival NCP factions. A merger could significantly reshape Maharashtra’s political set up, making several NCP ministers reluctant to take firm positions at this stage.Even so, insiders said pressure on Sunetra Pawar to return to state politics is unlikely to ease, regardless of whether merger talks move forward.

Will Jay Pawar Contest Baramati Bypolls?

Ajit Pawar had earlier indicated that he planned to step aside in Baramati and groom his younger son Jay Pawar for a larger political role. Jay had held meetings with local party units during the 2024 elections, while elder son Parth Pawar had contested, and lost, the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Maval.

“Ajitdada was preparing Jay for a bigger role,” an observer said. “After his death, the demand is growing for Jay to get into politics. Though NCP seniors are not averse to his entry, they felt that his mother, who comes from a political family, will be able to keep the NCP flock together, if a merger does not work out.”Sunetra Pawar had lost to Supriya Sule in the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Baramati. Party functionaries now believe that any member of Ajit Pawar’s family contesting from Baramati would face little resistance from rival parties.