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NCP sources say Sunetra Pawar was initially not ready for it, but agreed with a heavy heart, after considering the views of loyalists and to take Ajit Pawar’s vision forward
Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra Pawar will take oath at 5pm today. (PTI File)
Even as Sunetra Pawar took the oath as the deputy CM of Maharashtra on Saturday, within days of her husband and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar’s sudden death in a plane crash, many are puzzled about the reason behind the haste.
Party sources told News18 that Sunetra Pawar was “initially not ready for it”, but agreed “with a heavy heart”, after considering the views of several Ajit Pawar loyalists for the betterment of the party and to take his vision forward.
Sunetra Pawar was not ready for it, say NCP sources
Ajit Pawar, who was deputy chief minister and finance minister in the Devendra Fadnavis-led Mahayuti government, was killed in a plane crash in Baramati along with four others on January 28.
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Ajit Pawar had split the NCP into two factions, one led by him and the other – NCP SP – led by the party founder and his uncle Sharad Pawar and his daughter Supriya Sule. He had then joined the BJP-Sena led government, even as the SP faction stayed in the Opposition with Sena UBT and Congress.
According to NCP sources, after deputy CM Ajit Pawar’s death, Sunetra felt it was her responsibility to carry forward her husband’s vision as the head of the party. “When Ajit Pawar rebelled, he was alone…Sunetra Pawar, as a wife, considered it her duty to protect the party that Ajit Pawar had built through years of hard work. Even in grief, she felt it was her responsibility to carry forward her husband’s work,” said sources.
“Initially, Sunetra Pawar was not ready for this. But she felt that if she did not step in, Ajit Pawar’s dream would remain incomplete…Ajit Pawar’s vision would be left unfulfilled. With a heavy heart, she agreed,” they said.
There’s a thinking in the party that post merger, Sharad Pawar’s influence would be undeniable, given his stature. Given the history of the NCP split and the complicated equations stemming from their allegiance for rival camps, Ajit Pawar’s loyalists felt going ahead with the oath-taking should be a priority.
The swearing-in
Sunetra Pawar was sworn-in as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, replacing her deceased husband the late Ajit Pawar, at the Lok Bhavan pm on Saturday.
Earlier in the day, she was named as the chief of the NCP in the party’s legislature party meeting in Mumbai. She held talks with party leaders after arriving in Mumbai from Baramati.
Sharad Pawar on Saturday in the morning said there had been no discussion with Sunetra Pawar over her oath-taking. However, he noted that Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare were senior leaders of their own NCP faction and it was their party’s right to decide the course of action.
What about the merger?
After Ajit Pawar’s death, the speculation over the merger of the two factions has increased, with many saying he was to announce it within days. The two factions had contested the Maharashtra civic polls in alliance, with Ajit Pawar even apparently revealing his merger ambitions to select journalists.
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Sharad Pawar on Saturday claimed that the reunification of the two NCP factions was a long-held wish of Ajit Pawar. “It was Ajit Dada’s wish that the two NCP factions should come together. We also desire that his wish be fulfilled…The talks were positive…Ajit Pawar wanted to announce the merger on February 12,” he said.
“Ajit Pawar’s family decided to first focus on the party and then talk about a merger. That is why Sunetra Pawar and her family decided to go ahead with the oath-taking ceremony first. Reports suggest that they will now move forward with merger talks with other parties,” sources said.
January 31, 2026, 15:15 IST
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