Sunetra Pawar Named NCP Legislature Party Leader, Poised To Take Charge As Maharashtra’s First Woman Deputy CM

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Saturday unanimously elected Rajya Sabha member Sunetra Pawar as the leader of its Legislature Party, clearing the path for her elevation as Maharashtra’s first woman Deputy Chief Minister. Party legislators decided at a meeting held in Mumbai.

Senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal proposed Sunetra Pawar’s name, while Dilip Patil and several others endorsed the move.

The party convened the meeting after she agreed to accept the responsibility, despite still coming to terms with the sudden loss of her husband, former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who died in a plane crash earlier this week.

Sunetra Pawar will take the oath of office later in the day at Lok Bhavan. State NCP president Sunil Tatkare will formally convey the Legislature Party’s decision to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who will then forward the recommendation to the Governor for her inclusion in the Council of Ministers.

She is expected to step down from the Rajya Sabha, as the party plans for her to contest and secure an election from the Baramati Assembly constituency in the near future.

Consultations and Party Meetings

Ahead of the leadership decision, Tatkare had instructed all NCP legislators from both the Assembly and the Legislative Council to attend the meeting at Vidhan Bhavan. Earlier in the day, a senior NCP delegation met Chief Minister Fadnavis to deliberate on leadership appointments and the evolving political situation.

The delegation included NCP Working President Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare, ministers Chhagan Bhujbal and Hasan Mushrif, and former minister Dhananjay Munde. These developments come at a time when both the NCP and the Mahayuti government are adjusting to a major leadership void.

NCP founder Sharad Pawar said that no one consulted him on Sunetra Pawar’s elevation and that he learnt about the swearing-in plans through news reports.

He also referred to possible merger talks between the two NCP factions, stating that Ajit Pawar and Jayant Patil had made significant progress in the discussions before Ajit Pawar’s untimely death brought them to a halt.

Sharad Pawar said the future of the reunification process would now depend on leaders from both sides, adding that the absence of the leader who initiated the talks has created fresh uncertainty.

Also Read: HM Amit Shah Claims Corruption Led To Deadly Kolkata Warehouse Blaze