Friendly visit fuels whispers over Pawar family succession.
Hours after the funeral of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, a seemingly quiet meeting in Baramati has triggered intense political speculation about the future of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Pawar family’s next steps.
Senior NCP leaders Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal and Dhananjay Munde met Ajit Pawar’s wife, Sunetra Pawar, at a time when the party and the state are still reeling from the shock of his sudden death in a plane crash on Wednesday. The meeting, coming so soon after the funeral, has fuelled talk that the NCP has begun informal deliberations on succession and leadership continuity.
According to sources, the leaders urged Sunetra Pawar to consider stepping into a larger political role, including the possibility of taking over as deputy chief minister. However, Chhagan Bhujbal publicly played down the speculation, telling NDTV that the visit was purely a courtesy call. He insisted no political discussions took place, emphasising that the meeting was about offering condolences and standing with the family in a moment of grief.
Despite these denials, voices within the party have grown louder in encouraging Sunetra Pawar to take on a leadership role. Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration Minister and senior NCP leader Narhari Zirwal said there is a strong public sentiment in favour of her joining the state cabinet. He argued that people across Maharashtra want to see continuity and stability at a time when the party has lost one of its most influential leaders.
Adding to the chorus, NCP State Vice President Suresh Ghule went a step further. He urged senior leaders Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare to appoint Sunetra Pawar as the National President of the party and to formally propose her name for the deputy chief minister’s post. Such statements have only intensified the sense that the party is quietly weighing its options, even as it publicly maintains that no decisions have been made.
Sunetra Pawar is currently a Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament, a position that gives her national visibility but does not automatically qualify her for the role of deputy chief minister. For that, she would need to be elected either to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly or the Legislative Council. This requirement adds another layer of complexity to any immediate transition of power.
Attention has also turned to the Baramati Assembly constituency, a seat Ajit Pawar held continuously since 1991 and one that carries enormous symbolic and political weight. A bye-election will be required, and it is widely expected that someone from the Pawar family will be fielded. Speculation is rife that one of Ajit Pawar’s sons, Parth Pawar or Jay Pawar, could enter the fray, continuing the family’s long association with the constituency.
Political analysts say Ajit Pawar’s death has left a vacuum that will be extremely difficult to fill. Groomed by Sharad Pawar himself, Ajit Pawar combined organisational control, administrative experience and mass appeal in a way few leaders in the party can match. His ability to command loyalty across factions and regions made him a central pillar of the NCP.
In the absence of such a figure, leaders like Sunil Tatkare and Praful Patel may attempt to position themselves as the party’s guiding force. However, analysts caution that internal jockeying could weaken the party unless a clear and widely accepted leadership structure emerges quickly.
Another factor that could dramatically reshape the situation is the possibility of a reunification between the Ajit Pawar-led faction and the Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP. Such a move would reset internal equations and potentially sideline current succession debates altogether.
For now, the party walks a delicate line between mourning and mobilisation. Publicly, leaders emphasise unity, respect and patience. Privately, the pressure to ensure political continuity is unmistakable. Whether Sunetra Pawar steps forward, a younger Pawar takes centre stage, or the party charts a different course entirely, the decisions made in the coming weeks will shape not just the NCP’s future, but Maharashtra’s political landscape as well.
What began as a “courtesy meeting” has, in the eyes of many, become the first visible sign of a party grappling with loss — and searching for its next anchor.