- Raj Thackeray commented on Maharashtra's political upheaval following Ajit Pawar's death
- He said NCP should be led by a Marathi person, suggesting a Patil, not a Patel
- Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash, triggering mourning and political realignment in Maharashtra
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has weighed in on the ongoing suspense over who the next Nationalist Congress Party president will be, using a pointed remark that appeared aimed at senior NCP leader Praful Patel.
Speaking against the backdrop of developments following the death of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Raj Thackeray said Maharashtra's politics had undergone such an upheaval that "one does not even feel like commenting on it anymore". Yet, he added, the events unfolding through the day compelled him to speak.
Referring directly to the question of leadership within the NCP, Raj Thackeray said that a party "rooted in Marathi soil" must be led by someone who reflects that identity.
"Maharashtra's politics has undergone a complete upheaval in the recent past; honestly, one doesn't even feel like commenting on it. But still, one will have to speak on the events unfolding throughout the day-to-day. A party like the Nationalist Congress Party, which is truly rooted in Marathi soil, and its working president should be a proper Marathi person, a Patil perhaps, but not a Patel!" Raj Thackeray posted on X.
The remark was widely interpreted as a dig at Praful Patel at a moment when the NCP's top organisational posts are in flux.
The comments came amid intense speculation over who would formally take charge of the NCP following the death of Ajit Pawar, whose death in a plane crash earlier this week has triggered both mourning and a rapid political realignment within the party and the ruling Mahayuti alliance.
The Succession
On Wednesday morning, Ajit Pawar, who was serving as Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister and leading the NCP faction aligned with the BJP-led Mahayuti, died in a plane crash. Just three days later, on Saturday evening, his wife Sunetra Pawar was sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister.
The speed with which a successor was chosen, amid what has been described as a profound personal tragedy for the Pawar family, has surprised even seasoned observers of Maharashtra politics. Senior leaders within Ajit Pawar's faction argue that the haste was driven by an impending and sensitive political calculation -- the proposed merger between Ajit Pawar's NCP and the faction led by party founder Sharad Pawar.
According to leaders familiar with the discussions, the merger -- finalised in principle on January 17 and scheduled to be publicly announced on February 12 -- raised fears among Ajit Pawar loyalists that, once reunited, the Sharad Pawar faction would dominate the organisation. That, they believed, would sharply reduce the influence of those who broke away with Ajit Pawar in July 2023.
Earlier on Saturday, Sunetra Pawar was unanimously elected as the leader of the NCP Legislature Party. Her name was proposed by Chhagan Bhujbal and seconded by Dilip Walse Patil and other legislators at a meeting convened at Vidhan Bhavan.
