Speculation has intensified in Maharashtra over the possible swearing-in of Sunetra Pawar as Deputy Chief Minister following the death of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. Sunetra Pawar arrived in Mumbai on Saturday along with her son Parth Pawar, and it is being reported that she may take oath as the state’s Deputy Chief Minister.
In Mumbai, reports indicated a new development in the state’s political situation after Ajit Pawar’s death, with indications that Sunetra Pawar could be sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister. She reached Mumbai on Saturday with her son Parth Pawar, and it is being stated that she may be administered the oath of office.
Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar responded to these reports, stating that he had no information about any swearing-in ceremony. Addressing a press conference on Saturday, he said he had learned about the matter through media reports.
Speaking at a press conference in Baramati, Sharad Pawar said he had no prior knowledge of any plan regarding Sunetra Pawar’s swearing-in. When asked whether any member of the Pawar family would attend such a ceremony, he said that the decision would have been taken by the NCP. He added that leaders such as Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare may have taken certain decisions in this regard.
Sharad Pawar further said that uniting the two factions of the party had been the wish of his late nephew Ajit Pawar. He stated that Ajit Pawar, Shashikant Shinde and Jayant Patil had initiated discussions on merging the two factions and that a date for the merger had been fixed for February 12. He said Ajit Pawar passed away before that date and added that the party now felt his wish should be fulfilled, stating that it was Ajit Pawar’s desire for the two factions to unite.
After the death of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a Baramati aircraft accident on January 28, a section of NCP leaders had demanded that his wife Sunetra Pawar be given his position. NCP sources said on Friday that Sunetra Pawar, being a Rajya Sabha member, could be sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister on Saturday and could take her late husband’s place in the cabinet.
