MUMBAI/PUNE: On the day deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar was cremated with full state honours in Baramati, senior NCP leader and minister Narhari Zirwal indicated that Ajit’s wife, Sunetra Pawar, could be considered for a role in the state cabinet, reflecting what he described as a growing public sentiment.
Speaking to reporters after the funeral, Zirwal, a close aide of the late NCP leader, said that people were expressing a desire to see Sunetra, a Rajya Sabha member, take on a larger public role. “While we were travelling, many people told us that ‘Vahini’ (Sister-in-Law) should be brought into the mainstream,” he said. “We will place this view before the party leadership and take a decision accordingly.”
Similar views were echoed by senior NCP (SP) leader and former minister Rajesh Tope, who said that legal steps towards the unification of the two factions were in process before Ajit’s death. “Many leaders and workers from both sides wanted this,” he said, recalling his long personal association with Ajit Pawar. “Our families had a relationship across two generations. He could scold us with authority and guide us as well.”
The idea of Sunetra Pawar taking over seems to be taking firm root in the NCP. A group of MLAs are planning to meet her with this request in the next few days. On Thursday, after the conclusion of Ajit’s last rites, the party’s working president Praful Patel and senior minister Chhagan Bhujbal held a closed-door meeting with her, intensifying the speculation about her being chosen as the next NCP president. NCP vice-president Suresh Ghule has written a letter to Praful Patel and state president Sunil Tatkare, demanding Sunetra’s appointment as deputy CM and NCP president. A meeting should be called immediately to announce this,” Ghule said in his letter.
Senior NCP (SP) leaders also met Sunetra at her residence on Thursday, leading to speculation that the talks could be resumed, as a merger would be beneficial for both the parties. Those who met her included Jayant Patil, state president Shashikant Shinde and former home minister Anil Deshmukh.
Former minister and recently appointed NCP spokesperson Anil Patil told HT, “We have been working under the leadership of the Pawar family for over two decades and are ready to do so when Ajit Dada is no more.” When specifically asked if Sunetra should take over the NCP’s leadership, he replied, “Not a single leader will oppose her name.”
A section of the party is also pitching for Sunil Tatkare’s name, not as the next NCP president but for deputy chief minister. “Tatkare would be the right choice for the position, considering his experience,” said a senior NCP functionary. “He was a minister for 15 years during which he also held the finance portfolio, apart from water resources and energy among others.”
While Tatkare belongs to the Other Backward Castes (OBC) community, there are some NCP members who believe that only a Maratha, and preferably from the Pawar family, should lead the party. “Most of our senior leaders and MLAs are Marathas so preference should be given to them,” he stressed. Around 50% of NCP MLAs are from the Maratha community.
A section of the party, however, is of the view that while Sunetra should be made the party president, a senior and experienced person should be appointed deputy chief minister and finance minister.
Meanwhile, the tragedy has derailed the merger talks between the NCP’s two factions, which were at an advanced stage. On Thursday, senior NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil revealed that Ajit and he had held several meetings to this end. “There was also a meeting in which Ajit Dada and senior leaders of our party were present,” he said. “We had decided to contest the zilla parishad elections in alliance and announce the merger after the election results.”
Zirwal also claimed that the two factions of the party were already moving towards unity. “There is no point in remaining divided,” he said. “Leaders and workers realise this. Maharashtra expects the NCP to stay together.”
However, with Ajit Pawar’s death, the dynamics have changed and there is no guarantee that the talks will resume. “In the previous scenario, Ajit Pawar would have been the national president and Supriya Tai (Sule) would have been the working president. In the changed circumstances, will Supriya Tai accept Sunetra Vahini’s leadership? That is a big question,” asked a senior NCP (SP) leader.
Ajit Pawar’s death has also triggered key administrative and political decisions in Pune district, where he wielded enormous influence for over two decades as guardian minister. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is expected to take a call soon on who will be given the post, considered crucial in the district’s governance structure.