NEW DELHI,31 Jan 2026 : Sunetra Pawar, widow of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, is set to step into her husband’s massive shoes after he died in a plane crash on Wednesday morning. The decision was taken by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and the Pawar family was not consulted, said Ajit Pawar’s uncle and NCP-SP Chief, Sharad Pawar.
When asked if he was sidelined from the process of deciding Ajit Pawar’s successor, Sharad Pawar said, “I don’t know.”
Senior Pawar’s remarks clearly indicate a demarcation between politics and family. In July 2023, the NCP split into two factions after Ajit Pawar walked out of his party, breaking from his uncle’s side to carve his own path in the political history of the state.
Sharad Pawar has distanced himself from the development and claimed to have learned about the oath ceremony planned for Saturday evening through the media.
“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, addressing a press conference in Baramati, when asked if anyone from the Pawar family would be attending the ceremony.
Ajit Pawar wanted to give a ‘gift’ of reunion to uncle Sharad Pawar on his birthday (December 12), but the merger did not materialise at the time, NCP (SP) leader Ankush Kakade claimed.
According to Kakade, Ajit Pawar had urged him and other senior leaders, including Vitthal Sheth Maniar and Srinivas Patil – who share a close bond with the senior Pawar – to facilitate a reconciliation.
“You have good relations with Saheb (Sharad Pawar); please talk to him. Try to see how both NCP factions can become one again,” Kakade recalled Pawar junior’s words.
“Ajit Pawar had told me that we were supposed to come together on December 12, but we couldn’t. It’s okay; we will come together after the elections. Unfortunately, he could not fulfil the wish,” the NCP (SP) leader said.
Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar had met on January 17 to discuss a possible party reunion. Pawars had decided to announce the reunion on February 12, sources said.
When asked about the reunion, Senior Pawar said Ajit Pawar and Jayant Patil were present during the discussions, and Patil will take a call now.
Pictures credit social media
