Sunetra Pawar is set to become Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister after Ajit Pawar’s death, as Sharad Pawar reveals that a merger of the two NCP factions had been planned for February 12.
Sunetra Pawar Deputy CM: What Sharad Pawar’s Merger Claim Means for NCP
Maharashtra politics saw rapid changes after the sudden death of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar earlier this week. On Saturday, his wife Sunetra Pawar was selected to take his place. Her oath ceremony is scheduled for 5 pm.
At the same time, Ajit’s uncle Sharad Pawar, founder of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), made a major statement. He said a merger between his faction and Ajit Pawar’s faction of the NCP was supposed to take place on February 12.
A video, said to show a “final” meeting between the uncle and nephew along with senior leaders, increased curiosity about the possible reunion.
The NCP was formed about 30 years ago by Sharad Pawar and other former Congress leaders. In 2023, the party split when Ajit Pawar took most MLAs, along with the party name and symbol, and joined the BJP-led Mahayuti government. Sharad Pawar’s group, which includes his daughter Supriya Sule, is known as NCP(SP).
Sunetra Pawar, currently a Rajya Sabha MP, was unanimously chosen as leader of the NCP legislature party at a meeting in Mumbai’s Vidhan Bhavan. Party leaders described the move as a “collective decision” to respect the feelings of party workers. Senior leader Chhagan Bhujbal proposed her name, and others supported it.
At 62 years old, she will be sworn in by the Governor at Lok Bhavan in a simple ceremony. She will become the first woman deputy chief minister of Maharashtra.
However, she is not a member of the state legislature. She must either win an assembly by-election or enter the legislative council within six months. Baramati, the Pawar family stronghold, is expected to be her likely seat.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis supported the decision, saying the Mahayuti government stands with the Pawar family and respects the NCP’s leadership choice. It is still unclear whether Sunetra will also take charge of the important finance portfolio held by Ajit Pawar.
Sharad Pawar said that discussions for merging the two NCP factions had been happening secretly for four months. He said Ajit Pawar had started the talks with leaders like Jayant Patil and Shashikant Shinde.
"Ajit Pawar believed the merger should take place on February 12," Sharad Pawar said, adding that Ajit wanted to "move forward decisively" by reuniting the party.
Jayant Patil supported this claim, saying Ajit had visited his home several times for meals and discussions aimed at strengthening the party under Sharad Pawar’s leadership. Some leaders even said Ajit wanted to announce the reunion as a “gift” on Sharad Pawar’s birthday, December 12, but the plan was postponed.
A video believed to be from January 17 surfaced online, showing Sharad and Ajit Pawar in deep discussion. NCP(SP) sources called it the "final" meeting before Ajit’s plane crash on January 28.
Even with these signs, both factions are publicly keeping distance. Sharad Pawar said he did not know about Sunetra Pawar’s appointment and learned about it from media reports. "It was their responsibility; we are different," he said.
Sunil Tatkare, state president of Ajit’s NCP faction, first denied merger talks but later admitted that discussions had happened about contesting local elections together.
The two factions fought recent civic polls together in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, but suffered a heavy defeat by the BJP in results announced on January 16. This setback may have pushed Ajit Pawar to speed up merger talks before his death in a plane crash.
Ajit Pawar’s death has also affected family politics. On Saturday, his son Parth Pawar spent 90 minutes at Sharad Pawar’s home in Baramati, leading to speculation about the family’s next political steps.
Parth and his brother Jay are seen as continuing their father’s legacy in Baramati. Meanwhile, Rohit Pawar, who stayed loyal to Sharad Pawar during the split, is becoming more important. Supriya Sule, already an MP, handled family responsibilities during Ajit’s funeral.
Sharad Pawar, now 85, had earlier hinted at retirement by late 2026, but reports suggest he may stay active to guide the family during this period.
Earlier, when Supriya and Ajit campaigned together under the Ajit faction’s ‘clock’ symbol, many believed the family might reunite in the original party with Ajit as leader. There was also talk that Supriya could join the BJP-led central government, though nothing was finalised.
Ajit and Supriya held joint press conferences and said grassroots workers wanted unity. Ajit once said he believed in the "politics of addition, not subtraction" and suggested that past bitterness between factions had almost ended.
The main opposition party, Shiv Sena (UBT), responded with sympathy but also doubt. Leader Sanjay Raut questioned the speed of the decision, alleging that the "BJP does politics over dead bodies".
