As the deadlock over Maharashtra’s political future eased after Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s death on Thursday, his uncle and Nationalist Congress Party (SP) leader Sharad Pawar said on Saturday that he did not know Ajit’s wife. He was succeeded by Sunetra Pawar.
Leaders of two NCPs – one led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and the other by party founder Sharad Pawar. Sharad Pawar, who was left in a faction of the NCP after it took away most of the MLAs with Ajit’s name and symbol in 2023, again spoke of a possible merger between the two factions and said his nephew Ajit had proposed February 12 as a tentative date for the family’s political reunion.
Soon after his claim, a video of Ajith and Sharad Pawar surfaced on social media, showing the two engaged in discussions with other leaders. According to news agency ANI, the video is dated January 17. NCP (SP) leaders claimed that this was the “final” meeting on the merger of the two groups.
On Saturday, Sharad Pawar said that talks are going on between Ajit Pawar and NCP (SP) chief Jayant Patil.
He said merger talks were going on for four months.
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He added that the talks are now stalled due to Ajit Pawar’s death in the accident.
Failed Pune, PCMC ReunionThe “final” meeting is said to have taken place just a day after the declaration of the election results of 27 municipal corporations in Maharashtra.
The NCP split in July 2023 as more than 40 of Ajit Pawar’s NCP’s 54 MLAs left to join the BJP-led coalition government. It was after this split that Sharad Pawar named his party the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Chandra Pawar) or NCP (SP).
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A rare coming together of rival parties was recently seen in elections to two municipal corporations – Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad – on their home turf. However, the Reconciliation did not win much BJP registered decisive wins in both the civic bodies.
Sunetra takes the oath of power after her husband’s deathDays after the death of Ajit Pawar in a tragic plane crash in Maharashtra’s Baramati, his wife Sunetra is expected to take oath as the first woman Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra today at 5 pm in Mumbai.
He has been called upon to lead the NCP and take charge Ajit Pawar’s key role in the team has increased After a fatal plane crash. Maharashtra minister Narhari Jirwal told news agency PTI that there is a clear demand from the people that Sunetra Pawar, also known as “Bahini”, should be given the charge of the ministry.
However, when asked about the scheduled political developments this evening, Sharad Pawar said he was not aware.
On the other hand, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis supported NCP’s decision to fill the vacant post of Deputy Chief Minister of the state.
“The decision will be taken by NCP. We will stand by whatever decision NCP takes… We stand by Ajit Pawar and NCP’s family,” Fadnavis said while talking to reporters on Friday.
Apart from Ajit Pawar, four people died in the Learjet 45 plane crash in Baramati on January 28. The Ministry of Civil Aviation has assured that an investigation into the incident is underway and the black box has been recovered.
