Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai

Mumbai, Jan 30: Amid speculation over Ajit Pawar’s successor and a possible merger of the two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the party is likely to convene a legislative party meeting soon to elect its new leader.

Sources close to the Pawar family said Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra Pawar is expected to be chosen as the leader of the faction during the meeting. Senior leader Chhagan Bhujbal said a meeting of all NCP MLAs has been called to elect the legislative party leader, adding that most MLAs are in favour of Sunetra Pawar.

“A meeting of all NCP MLAs has been called tomorrow to elect the legislative party leader. Almost everyone wants Sunetra ji to be elected as the legislative party leader. If this decision is made tomorrow, preparations for the swearing-in ceremony will likely begin as soon as tomorrow,” Bhujbal said.

NCP leader Sunil Tatkare also indicated that Sunetra Pawar’s name may even be considered for the post of deputy chief minister. “There is a possibility that Sunetra Pawar’s name will be confirmed even for the post of deputy CM… A final decision will be taken after discussing with Sunetra Pawar today or tomorrow,” he said.

Bhujbal, Tatkare and Dhananjay Munde met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at Varsha bungalow on Friday. Bhujbal said it was tentatively decided that a CLP meeting would be called and held tomorrow, but due to a period of mourning, no official communication has been issued yet.

“Our priority is to appoint the CLP leader. Appointing the CLP leader, which is equivalent to appointing the Deputy Chief Minister, is important for us. A decision will be made in the next one or two hours,” Bhujbal said. On the merger issue, he added, “I have no information on this.”

Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction is part of the ruling alliance in Maharashtra with the BJP led by Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena. Meanwhile, Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule’s NCP faction remains in the opposition along with the Congress and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena.

Sources said a majority of leaders in the Ajit Pawar faction want Sunetra Pawar to take over leadership and possibly assume the deputy CM post, citing her family connection and acceptability within the party. They also claimed that since NCP is seen as a Maratha-based party, non-Maratha leaders may not be widely accepted by the cadre.

Sunetra Pawar, a Maratha face and a close family member of Ajit Pawar, has reportedly been involved in the party’s day-to-day affairs for the past few years, and leaders are now pushing for her to lead the party in the legislature as well.

Sources further said that while a merger between the two NCP factions has been on the cards, it has been delayed following Ajit Pawar’s demise. They added that Sunetra Pawar is viewed as an acceptable face across both factions, and there is a possibility that under Sharad Pawar’s guidance, she could play a key role in leading a united NCP in the future.