Baramati | Amid reports that Sunetra Pawar, wife of Ajit Pawar, will be sworn in as the Maharashtra deputy chief minister, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday distanced himself from the development, claiming he had no idea about it.

Addressing a press conference in Baramati, Pawar said that he had found out about the swearing-in 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 said, when asked if anyone from the Pawar family would be attending the ceremony.

He said the NCP must have made the decision.

"Some people like Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare took the initiative. These people might have decided something," he said.

The veteran leader further claimed that it was his late nephew Ajit Pawar's wish to unite both factions, and that they were optimistic about it.

"Now we feel his wish should be fulfilled. Ajit Pawar, Shashikant Shinde and Jayant Patil had initiated the talks about the merger of the two factions. Even the merger date had been fixed - it was scheduled on the 12th (February). Unfortunately, Ajit left us before that," he said.

Sources from the NCP had on Friday said that the Rajya Sabha MP is likely to be sworn in as deputy chief minister on Saturday, replacing her late husband Ajit Pawar in the cabinet.

Following the death of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in the January 28 air crash in Baramati, a section of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders had demanded that she be given the post held by her late husband in the Devendra Fadnavis-led cabinet.