Deputy CM Or State Minister? NCP Weighs Bigger Role For Sunetra Pawar After Ajit Pawar’s Death

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is seriously looking at bringing Sunetra Pawar into the Maharashtra cabinet, just days after Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash near Baramati. There's real pressure from both party workers and the public to give her a bigger political role, especially now as the party tries to figure out its future in the ruling Mahayuti alliance and its relationship with Sharad Pawar's group.

Ajit Pawar and four others died on Wednesday when their chartered plane crashed only about 200 meters short of the Baramati runway in Pune district. Officials confirmed the news. On Thursday, Baramati saw a huge turnout for his funeral, which was held with full state honors-a reminder of just how much of a force he was in Maharashtra politics.

Right now, NCP leaders are openly talking about what Sunetra Pawar's role should be. Maharashtra's Food and Drug Administration Minister, Narhari Zirwal, said that party workers and the public want Sunetra to step up. People call her "vahini" and see her as the natural choice to carry on Ajit Pawar's legacy.

All of this is happening at a pretty tense time for Ajit Pawar's faction of the NCP, which is still a major partner in the BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena government. If Sunetra Pawar does join the cabinet-especially if she gets a senior position-it could shake up the balance of power in the Mahayuti alliance.

Party leaders like Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal, Dhananjay Munde, and Sunil Tatkare have met Sunetra Pawar several times in the past few days. They're talking about who will lead next, how to keep the party stable, and what the NCP's strategy should be now that Ajit Pawar is gone. There's talk that if a by-election happens in Baramati, Sunetra could be the candidate. Some leaders are even pushing for her to become Deputy Chief Minister, the role Ajit Pawar held.

The plan is for senior NCP figures to bring this idea to the Mahayuti leadership and discuss next steps with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Meanwhile, Praful Patel, the NCP's working president, is expected to take a more central role as the party navigates this transition. He's seen as someone who can juggle alliance politics and internal changes at the same time.

As for patching things up with Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP), sources say nothing's happening right away. There have been informal chats since the last round of local elections, but formal talks can wait. Right now, the focus is on keeping the party together and handling government work.

Narhari Zirwal did mention that the split inside the NCP doesn't feel as sharp as before. He said a lot of leaders now think the division isn't helping anyone, which is making some people push harder for unity-even if an official merger isn't on the table just yet.

Sunetra Pawar is currently a Rajya Sabha MP. She was there at Ajit Pawar's funeral, paying her respects along with party leaders, workers, and local residents at Baramati's Vidya Pratishthan ground.

Ajit Pawar's decision to join the Eknath Shinde government in July 2023 led to the big NCP split. Now, with his passing, the spotlight is on what Sunetra Pawar will do, how stable the Mahayuti alliance can stay, and what's next for a divided NCP. All eyes are on Maharashtra politics as these decisions unfold.