After Sunetra Pawar is sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, her son Parth Pawar is likely to become her replacement in the Rajya Sabha, a Marathi media report said. Parth Pawar had debuted in parliamentary politics by contesting the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from the Maval constituency, tasting defeat. He has not been active since and has maintained a low public profile. However, he is interested in becoming a member of the Upper House as his mother's replacement, the report claimed.
Soon after becoming the Deputy Chief Minister, Sunetra Pawar will also take up the responsibility of the NCP (Ajit Pawar) national president, TV9 Marathi said in a report. A set of leaders who rallied behind the late Ajit Pawar now fear for their political future as unification talks gain momentum. Merging the two NCPs while Ajit was alive is not the same as doing so in his absence, they believe. Now, Sharad Pawar is likely to call the shots if the two camps are unified, with a sizeable chunk of privileges and opportunities going to his lieutenants. Many NCP (Ajit Pawar) leaders want to avoid this, which has resulted in the speedy swearing-in of Sunetra Pawar, among other developments, TV9 Marathi said.
What is happening in NCP?
Ealier, Sharad Pawar had himself clarified that the merger was not going to take place as planned before in the light of the tragedy. However, the talks between the two parties remained positive and well on track. But his remarks on the entry of Sunetra Pawar into the Mahayuti cabinet gave a different impression.
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“We have no idea about Sunetra Pawar's oath-taking ceremony as Deputy Chief Minister,” Sharad Pawar had said about the programme scheduled for Saturday evening. “There was no discussion with me about the swearing-in. Her party (NCP) may have made the decision. The names of Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare came up, and it is learnt that they took the initiative. They might have taken a decision internally within the party," the veteran leader was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
The NCP (SP) chief said that the ruling faction may have felt that someone should take up the post after Ajit Pawar's death. Following Ajit Pawar's death in the 28 January air crash in Baramati, a section of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders had demanded that she be given the post held by her late husband in the Devendra Fadnavis-led cabinet.
The veteran leader further claimed that Ajit Pawar and NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil had been holding talks for the last four months and were leading the discussions, but the unfortunate crash had stalled the process.