Sunetra backs move to name Missing link after Ajit Pawar

The pitch, first made by NCP spokesperson Suraj Chavan to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, has been amplified by Sunetra Pawar, who referred to her late husband as the ‘missing link’ in governance in a WhatsApp status message

Mumbai: The demand to name the Mumbai–Pune Expressway’s upcoming Missing Link project after the late leader Ajit Pawar has gained political backing, with deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar publicly supporting the proposal ahead of the project’s inauguration on May 1.

Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar (HT Photo)

The pitch, first made by NCP spokesperson Suraj Chavan to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, has been amplified by Sunetra Pawar, who referred to her late husband as the ‘missing link’ in governance in a WhatsApp status message. Ajit Pawar died in an air crash near Baramati airport on January 28, following which Sunetra Pawar assumed a larger political role.

The Mumbai-Pune expressway is named after former chief minister Yashwantrao Chavan. The missing link project has been executed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), which is currently overseen by deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde. Shinde inspected the project on Sunday and described it as a major engineering feat completed under challenging terrain and weather conditions.

Shinde also pointed to the project’s timeline, noting that it was cleared in 2019 when Fadnavis was chief minister and he was heading MSRDC. “It is a coincidence that the inauguration is taking place at a time when Devendra Fadnavis is again the chief minister and the department is with me,” he said.