Even as speculation over a possible merger of the two warring factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) intensified following the shocking death of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, his wife Sunetra Pawar’s decision to join the Maharashtra government is likely to push such a move to the back burner for now.
According to reports, neither the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) nor members of his family were aware of Sunetra Pawar’s decision to join the BJP-led Mahayuti government as Deputy Chief Minister.
“The NCP (SP) leadership and Sharad Pawar’s family members were completely in the dark about her plans,” a source told the PTI news agency.
Sunetra Pawar, a Rajya Sabha MP, is likely to be elected leader of the legislature wing of the Nationalist Congress Party at a meeting in Mumbai on Saturday. She is expected to take oath as Deputy Chief Minister later in the evening.
Sunetra, who made her electoral debut in 2024, would become the first woman to hold the post of Deputy Chief Minister in Maharashtra.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the BJP, which leads the ruling Mahayuti alliance, would support any decision taken by the family and party of the late Ajit Pawar.
“The NCP will take whatever decision it has to take regarding the post of Deputy Chief Minister, and we will support it. We are standing behind the family of Ajit Dada and the NCP,” Fadnavis told reporters in Nagpur.
It remains to be seen whether the NCP’s decision to continue in the Mahayuti will slow down merger talks with the NCP (SP), which is a constituent of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi.
NCP leaders said the immediate priority was to fill the vacant posts of legislature party leader and Deputy Chief Minister, both of which were held by Ajit Pawar. They added that the decision on reunification of the two factions now rests with the Pawar family and the party leadership.
“A merger is the need of the hour to build a strong NCP and provide an effective political alternative. Talks had reached an advanced stage, but in Ajit Pawar’s absence, the question now is who will take the final call,” a senior NCP (SP) leader told PTI.
The NCP and the NCP (SP) contested the Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation elections in an alliance, and there were talks of an alliance for the upcoming Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti polls.
