Mumbai | NCP (SP) Maharashtra unit president Shashikant Shinde on Saturday said his party chief Sharad Pawar and other leaders had no prior knowledge about the decision that NCP's Sunetra Pawar would take oath as the state Deputy Chief Minister.
Sunetra Pawar (62), wife of Ajit Pawar who died in a plane crash in Baramati on January 28, was on Saturday sworn in as the first woman deputy CM of Maharashtra.
Addressing reporters, Shinde said, “There had been discussions and meetings on the two NCPs coming together. But Ajitdada is no more. Some broad positions had been discussed earlier. Now, we will discuss what needs to be done and then make a decision. How others respond is their call.”
On questions over the apparent haste in conducting Sunetra Pawar's swearing-in ceremony, Shinde said the answers should come from her family, senior party leaders, or the chief minister and his colleagues.
“Ajit Pawar’s passing is a great loss to Maharashtra. When the state is in mourning, why this decision was taken is not known to us. They will have to explain it,” he said.
Sharad Pawar did not have prior knowledge about her swearing-in, Shinde said.
According to him, in the three months prior to Ajit Pawar’s January 17 meeting with Sharad Pawar, eight to ten meetings had been held.
“After the civic elections, a decision was taken to work towards unifying the two parties. This position was also conveyed to Sharad Pawar,” he said.
Referring to a video of the January 17 meeting between Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar that has gone viral, Shinde said it was held at Pawar senior’s residence and not at (NCP-SP) leader Jayant Patil’s house.
“...Ajitdada said he had discussed the matter with the state president and others, and that he has taken the decision,” Shinde said.
Candidates were fielded in civic polls across Maharashtra on the party (NCP) symbol, and it was discussed that a decision on unification would be taken after the results were declared, he said.
Asked whether Ajit Pawar wanted the two NCP factions to merge but faced resistance from senior leaders in his party, Shinde said he had no information on that.
“After completing all processes, we will try to bring leaders from both sides together and hold discussions. Based on the decisions they take, we will decide our next course of action,” he said.
Sharad Pawar also claimed on Saturday that he had “no idea” about the swearing-in of Sunetra Pawar, and said that his late nephew Ajit Pawar had finalised February 12 to announce the “merger” between the NCP factions.
“All discussions were held at their level, but it now appears the process may hit a roadblock following the accident,” said the NCP (SP) chief.
Referring to the viral video, Kiran Gujar, a close associate and confidant of Ajit Pawar and the Pawar family in Baramati, confirmed that it was of the January 17 meeting in which the “merger” talks were being finalised.
The video shows senior Pawar sitting at the centre while Ajit Pawar, NCP (SP) leaders Jayant Patil, Rajesh Tope, Shashikant Shinde, Harshwardhan Patil, Rohit Pawar and Lok Sabha MP Amol Kolhe, holding discussions.
“The meeting took place on January 17, and Ajit Dada told me about the outcome of the meeting on January 21,” Gujar said.
Pune | The process to merge the NCP (SP) and NCP may now face a roadblock due to the death of Ajit Pawar, said Sharad Pawar on Saturday.
Nationalist Congress Party chief and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was killed along with four others after a Learjet 45 aircraft they were travelling in crashed at Baramati, his hometown here, on January 28.
The process to merge the two factions was underway for the past four months under Ajit Pawar and Jayant Patil, the NCP (SP) chief told reporters in Baramati.
"All discussions were held at their level, but it now appears the process may hit a roadblock following the (plane) accident. The talks were progressing in a positive direction, but the accident adversely affected the process," the former Union minister said.
Efforts were being made to establish cordial dialogue between the two factions, he added.
Asked whether the merger process would continue, Sharad Pawar said he did not know as he was not part of these discussions.
"It was Ajit's wish to unite the two factions, and now it is our wish that his wish should be fulfilled," Pawar said.
"We cannot bring Ajit back. We have lost him. Now we have to see how to face the situation," the NCP (SP) chief asserted.
Sharad Pawar said a consensus had been reached about both factions working together, and the process had already begun.
"The decision on the merger was supposed to be announced on February 12. Ajit had given this date, but unfortunately, the accident took place," he added.
During the recent civic polls, which the two factions contested in alliance, Ajit Pawar had also told select journalists that he intended to merge his party with the NCP (SP) while his uncle Sharad Pawar (85) was in good health.
After contesting the January 15 civic elections in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad together, the two factions decided to continue the tie-up for next month's Zilla Parishad elections too.
The NCP, founded by Sharad Pawar in 1999, split after Ajit Pawar joined the Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti government in July 2023. He was appointed the deputy CM at that time, and his stint in the post continued after Devendra Fadnavis came to the helm as CM following the November 2024 assembly polls.
Sharad Pawar also told reporters that the NCP (SP) didn't know about the swearing-in of Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra Pawar as deputy chief minister in the Devendra Fadnavis government.
"I am not aware of the swearing-in. I didn't even know that it was scheduled for today. There was no discussion with me about the swearing-in. Her party (NCP) may have made the decision. The names of Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare came up, and it is learnt that they took the initiative. They might have taken a decision internally within the party," he said.
Sunetra Pawar (62) was on Saturday sworn in as the first woman Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
She was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Acharya Devvrat at a brief ceremony at Lok Bhavan here. Earlier in the day, she was elected as the state NCP legislature party leader.
