- Sunetra Pawar to succeed late husband Ajit Pawar and take oath as Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister
- NCP-SP Chief Sharad Pawar expressed lack of knowledge about successor and swearing-in plans
- Ajit Pawar sought to reunite withuncle Sharad Pawar
Sunetra Pawar, wife of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, is set to step into her husband's massive shoes after he died in a plane crash on Wednesday morning. The decision was taken by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and the Pawar family was not consulted, said Ajit Pawar's uncle and NCP-SP Chief, Sharad Pawar.
When asked if he was sidelined from the process of deciding Ajit Pawar's successor, Sharad Pawar said, "I don't know."
Senior Pawar's remarks clearly indicates a demarcation between politics and family. In July 2023, the NCP split into two factions after Ajit Pawar walked out of his party, breaking from his uncle's side to carve his own path in the political history of the state.
Sharad Pawar has distanced himself from the development and claimed to have learned about the oath ceremony planned for Saturday evening through the media.
"We don't know about the swearing-in. We got to know about it through the news. I have no idea about the swearing-in," he said addressing a press conference in Baramati, when asked if anyone from the Pawar family would be attending the ceremony.
Blog | Sunetra Pawar: From Behind The Scenes To Pinnacle Of Power
An Incomplete Reunion
Ajit Pawar wanted to give a 'gift' of reunion to uncle Sharad Pawar on his birthday (December 12), but the merger did not materialise at the time, NCP (SP) leader Ankush Kakade said on Friday.
According to Kakade, Ajit Pawar had urged him and other senior leaders including Vitthal Sheth Maniar and Srinivas Patil - who share a close bond with the senior Pawar - to facilitate a reconciliation.
"You have good relations with Saheb (Sharad Pawar); please talk to him. Try to see how both NCP factions can become one again," Kakade recalled Pawar junior's words.
"Ajit Pawar had told me that we were supposed to come together on December 12, but we couldn't. It's okay; we will come together after the elections. Unfortunately, he could not fulfill the wish," the NCP (SP) leader said.
NDTV Accesses Sharad Pawar-Ajit Pawar Meeting Details
NDTV has accessed details of a meeting held between Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar on January 17 to discuss a possible party reunion. Pawars had decided to announce reunion on February 12, sources said.
When asked about the reunion, Senior Pawar said Ajit Pawar and Jayant Patil were present during the discussions and Patil will take a call now.
Ajit Pawar's Death In Plane Crash
NCP Chief Ajit Pawar was flying from Mumbai to Baramati when a small aircraft, Learjet 45, owner and operated by VSR Ventures, crashed during a second landing attempt. Apart from Pawar, there were four more people on board - pilot Sumit Kapur, co-pilot Shambhavi Pathak, Pawar's personal security officer Vidip Jadhav, and a flight attendant, Pinky Mali. All five died in a tragic crash.
