BARAMATI, Jan 31: NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday distanced himself from reports that Sunetra Pawar, widow of late Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, would be sworn in as Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister. Speaking at a press conference in Baramati, Pawar said he learned about the development only through media reports.
“We don’t know about the swearing in. We got to know about it through the news. I have no idea about the swearing-in,” he stated, when asked whether any family members would attend the ceremony.
The veteran leader indicated that the decision likely came from other party leaders. “Some people like Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare took the initiative. They might have decided something,” Pawar said.
He added that it was his late nephew Ajit Pawar’s wish to unite both NCP factions and that efforts toward the merger had been underway. “Ajit Pawar, Shashikant Shinde, and Jayant Patil had initiated talks about merging the two factions. Even the merger date had been fixed for February 12. Unfortunately, Ajit left us before that,” he remarked.
Sources from the NCP had earlier indicated that Sunetra Pawar, currently a Rajya Sabha MP, is likely to be sworn in as deputy chief minister on Saturday, filling the post left vacant after her husband’s tragic death in the January 28 air crash in Baramati.
A section of NCP leaders had demanded that she be given the cabinet position in the Devendra Fadnavis-led government, following the untimely demise of Ajit Pawar.