Amid speculation over the leadership of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and a potential merger of its factions, Ajit Pawar’s wife, Sunetra Pawar, is reportedly set to be chosen as the leader of his faction in an upcoming legislative party meeting on Saturday. Sources close to the family confirmed that she is likely to take charge instead of Supriya Sule.
Ajit Pawar’s faction is currently in alliance with the Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena in the Maharashtra government, while Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule’s NCP faction remains in the opposition alongside Congress and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena.
Ajit Pawar previously held key portfolios including Finance, Planning, and State Excise, with additional charge of Sports and Youth Welfare and Minority Development, all of which are now vacant. Sources suggest that party leaders are keen on Sunetra Pawar taking a Deputy Chief Minister role in the state.
The discussions gain significance in the backdrop of recent civic polls, where the two NCP factions contested together and announced plans to continue the alliance for the Zilla Parishad elections next month. Ajit Pawar had earlier indicated his intention to merge his faction with the Sharad Pawar-led NCP while his uncle remains active in politics.
The upcoming legislative party meeting is expected to formalize the leadership decision and clarify the party’s future strategy amid talks of NCP reunification.