- Sunetra Pawar is likely to take oath as Maharashtra's new deputy chief minister tomorrow
- NCP legislature party meeting to finalise her name is at 2 pm in Mumbai
- The development comes two days after Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash in Baramati
Sunetra Pawar, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and wife of Ajit Pawar, is likely to take oath as the new Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister tomorrow, sources said. The development comes two days after the post fell vacant following the 66-year-old leader's death in a plane crash in his hometown, Baramati, on Wednesday.
The party will hold a legislature party meeting at the Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai tomorrow at 2 pm to finalise her name. This will be followed by a swearing-in ceremony in the evening, the sources said. Upon taking the oath, she will become the state's first woman Deputy Chief Minister.
This follows remarks by Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal, who indicated that Sunetra Pawar is the frontrunner to assume her husband's former role.
"Many people believe that Sunetra Pawar should be given this responsibility, and I don't think that demand is unreasonable," Bhujbal said.
"The currently vacant Deputy Chief Minister's post can be filled by Sunetra ji... Tomorrow's meeting is primarily to elect the legislature party leader."
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Sunetra Pawar is currently a Rajya Sabha MP and not a member of either house of the Maharashtra legislature.
NCP working president Praful Patel noted there was no opposition within the party to her appointment.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated that the government would respect the NCP's internal decision. "The decision will be taken by the NCP, and we will stand by it... Be it the NCP or the Pawar family, we as the government and the BJP stand strongly with them," Fadnavis said.
Ajit Pawar died on Wednesday morning when a chartered aircraft carrying him crashed while attempting to land at Baramati airport. All five people on board, including his personal security officer, a flight attendant, and two pilots, were killed in the accident.
Pawar, fondly called Dada, was cremated a day later with full state honours at the Vidya Pratishthan College ground, located around 100 kms from Pune city, in the presence of prominent politicians and thousands of people. His ashes were immersed on Friday at the confluence of Nira and Karha rivers near Baramati.
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The sudden tragedy has sparked speculation regarding a potential reunification of the two NCP factions. Ajit Pawar, once considered the heir apparent to his uncle Sharad Pawar, had split the party in 2023. However, the two factions recently contested civic elections in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad together.
As the political landscape shifts, the state police have confirmed that the CID will lead the probe into the accidental death case registered at Baramati.
