NCP considers Sunetra Pawar for Maharashtra Deputy CM post amid internal churn
Sunetra Pawar is currently a Rajya Sabha MP | She is the wife of late Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar
PTC Web Desk: A fresh political churn has begun inside the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), with the party likely to propose Sunetra Pawar, wife of late Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, for the post of Maharashtra deputy chief minister, sources have said.
Sunetra Pawar is currently a Rajya Sabha MP. According to party insiders, the NCP leadership is actively discussing her entry into the Maharashtra Cabinet, citing public sentiment and the need for stable leadership at this crucial time.
Senior NCP leader and Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Minister Narhari Zirwal was reported as saying by a news agency that there is a strong demand from the public to bring Sunetra Pawar into the state ministry. He added that people believe she should be given a key role in the government.
Sources further revealed that several senior NCP leaders, including Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal, Dhananjay Munde and Sunil Tatkare, have already met Sunetra Pawar as part of internal discussions. These meetings are seen as part of a broader plan to finalise the party’s leadership strategy.
It is also likely that Sunetra Pawar may contest from the Assembly seat vacated by Ajit Pawar, sources said. The proposal under discussion includes her induction as deputy chief minister.
Senior NCP leaders are expected to meet Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis soon to discuss the proposal and decide the next steps. Meanwhile, sources said Praful Patel, the working president of the NCP, may take a leading role in guiding the party during this transitional phase.
Talks related to a possible merger between the Ajit Pawar-led NCP and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) are likely to be held later. However, Zirwal downplayed the differences between the two factions, saying that both groups are already moving in the same direction.
“Everyone has understood that staying divided makes no sense. We need to stay united,” Zirwal said when asked about the merger.
Ajit Pawar’s NCP is currently part of the ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra, along with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.