Deputy CM or state minister? NCP deliberates bigger role for Sunetra Pawar after Ajit's death

THe nationalistic united states congress company (NCP) is mulling to seat Sunetra Pawar, married woman of late Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, in the state ministry following the death of the NCP leader in a plane crash on Wednesday.Senior NCP leader and Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration Minister Narhari Zirwal said public sentiment is strongly in favour of inducting Sunetra Pawar into the state government, news agency PTI reported.ALSO READ | Ajit's jet crashes after chilling last call, SC probe sought; Sharad Pawar says 'no politics'There is a clear demand from the people that Sunetra Pawar, also called “vahini”, meaning “sister-in-law”, should be given responsibility in the ministry, Zirwal told PTI, responding to questions on the party’s future after Ajit Pawar’s death.The development comes as speculations remain over the future of NCP following Ajit Pawar's death and the question of reuniting with Sharad Pawar's camp or remaining with ruling Mahayuti.A report in India Today, quoting sources, said that senior NCP leaders including Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal, Dhananjay Munde and Sunil Tatkare have held a series of meetings with Sunetra Pawar as part of internal consultations on leadership succession and political strategy.They said Sunetra Pawar is likely to contest from the Baramati seat vacated by Ajit Pawar, should elections be announced, marking her formal entry into active electoral politics.The report further hinted at a proposal to make Sunetra the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, given that Ajit Pawar was a deputy CM in the current Mahayuti government.ALSO READ | Black box of Ajit Pawar's plane recovered, govt vows 'thorough inquiryThey further indicated that the NCP’s proposal would include appointing Sunetra Pawar as deputy chief minister, and that senior party leaders are expected to meet Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis to discuss the proposal and the future roadmap of the Mahayuti government.According to sources within the party, Praful Patel, the NCP’s working president, is expected to take a leading role in steering the organisation during this transitional phase, the report said.On the question of a possible merger between the Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP), some said discussions are likely to be deferred for now, though backchannel talks had been ongoing since the municipal corporation elections.Zirwal, however, maintained that divisions within the party had largely dissolved, saying leaders had realised that remaining fragmented served no purpose, PTI reported.ALSO READ | Runway not in sight, oh s***, then crash: Blow-by-blow account of what happened on Ajit Pawar's flightSunetra Pawar is currently a Rajya Sabha member, according to official parliamentary records.Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction remains a key constituent of the ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra, alongside the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.Ajit Pawar and four others were killed on Wednesday when a chartered aircraft crashed barely 200 metres from the edge of the tabletop airstrip at Baramati in Pune district, according to officials.He was cremated with full state honours in Baramati on Thursday.Ajit Pawar had joined the then Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government in July 2023, a move that triggered a split in the NCP founded by his uncle Sharad Pawar.(With inputs from PTI)