The Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP, which faced a poll drubbing, has passed a resolution demanding that Sunetra Pawar, the wife of party president and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, be sent to the Rajya Sabha and be made a minister in the Union government.
This came as the party rejected the offer for a Minister of State with independent charge for Praful Patel as it expected a Cabinet post. Patel himself told reporters that the post would be a "demotion for him" as he had earlier been a Cabinet minister with the union government.
Ajit Pawar too reiterated that the party decided to wait. He said he had made it clear to the BJP that we would not accept any post lower than the Cabinet portfolio. "They told us that they need to give Cabinet posts to many of its constituents," he said while stressing the party's support for the NDA government.
In the recent general elections, the NCP under Ajit Pawar managed to secure only one of the four seats it contested, while the rival faction led by Sharad Pawar won eight out of ten constituencies it contested.
However, as the party celebrated its 25th anniversary on Monday, a letter written by NCP Pune unit chief Deepak Mankar detailing these demands has been sent to Ajit Pawar.
"Sunetra Pawar should be sent to Rajya Sabha and must be given a state cabinet portfolio (MoS) in order to give strength to the party and the officer bearers," the letter written by Mankar said. Sunetra Pawar had lost from the Baramati Lok Sabha seat to sitting MP Supriya Sule in the recent general elections.
The results came as a huge dampener for the Ajit Pawar faction after its split from the Sharad Pawar last July. Ajit Pawar and eight MLAs joined the Eknath Shinde government, following which the party name and symbol were allotted to the faction led by him. Sharad Pawar now heads the group which has been christened NCP(SP).
However, Ajit Pawar exhorted his supporters to start preparing for the upcoming Assembly elections, assuring that the party will have three members in the Rajya Sabha by mid-July. He also acknowledged that party leader Sunil Tatkare preserved the NCP's image by winning the Raigad Lok Sabha seat.
