Sunetra sworn in, Supriya says 'Ram Krishna Hari' while Sharad Pawar makes big merger claim: What next for the two NCPs?
With Sunetra Pawar succeeding Ajit as deputy CM, and family patriarch Sharad Pawar claiming merger was set for announcement, equations appear to have changed
Maharashtra's political landscape, already altered by the sudden death of deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar earlier this week, witnessed a whirlwind of developments on Saturday as his widow, Sunetra Pawar, succeeded him.
Before Sunetra was sworn in as the state's first woman deputy CM, Ajit's uncle Sharad Pawar — patriarch of the political family and founder of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) — dropped a bombshell, claiming that a merger of his faction and Ajit-led NCP was to happen on February 12.
A video claimed to be of a “final” meeting between the uncle-nephew and other top leaders added to the suspense and claims.
The NCP, founded by Sharad Pawar and some other Congress leaders three decades ago, was split in 2023 when Ajit took away most of the MLA, the name and symbol, to join the BJP-led Mahayuti government. Sharad Pawar and his daughter Supriya Sule's faction is called the NCP(SP).
Sunetra Pawar: Maharashtra’s first woman deputy CM
Sunetra Pawar, a member of the Rajya Sabha, was unanimously elected as the leader of the NCP legislature party at a meeting in Mumbai’s Vidhan Bhavan. The move was described as a "collective decision" to honour the sentiments of party workers. Her name was proposed by senior leader Chhagan Bhujbal and seconded by other top party functionaries.
{{/usCountry}}Sunetra Pawar, a member of the Rajya Sabha, was unanimously elected as the leader of the NCP legislature party at a meeting in Mumbai’s Vidhan Bhavan. The move was described as a "collective decision" to honour the sentiments of party workers. Her name was proposed by senior leader Chhagan Bhujbal and seconded by other top party functionaries.
{{/usCountry}}The 62-year-old would be sworn in by the Governor at Lok Bhavan in a low-key ceremony, making her the first woman to hold the deputy chief minister’s post in Maharashtra.
{{/usCountry}}The 62-year-old would be sworn in by the Governor at Lok Bhavan in a low-key ceremony, making her the first woman to hold the deputy chief minister’s post in Maharashtra.
{{/usCountry}}While Sunetra entered the Rajya Sabha in June 2024, she is not currently a member of the state legislature and will need to win an assembly bypoll or enter the legislative council within six months. Baramati, the family stronghold left unrepresented by her husband's death, would be her likely assembly seat.
{{/usCountry}}While Sunetra entered the Rajya Sabha in June 2024, she is not currently a member of the state legislature and will need to win an assembly bypoll or enter the legislative council within six months. Baramati, the family stronghold left unrepresented by her husband's death, would be her likely assembly seat.
{{/usCountry}}Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has backed the NCP's move, stating that the Mahayuti government stands by the Pawar family and will honor the NCP’s internal leadership choice. However, it remains unclear if Sunetra will also inherit the high-stakes finance portfolio handled by her late husband.
On Sunetra succeeding Ajit as deputy CM, the state's main opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) has reacted with a mix of sympathy and skepticism. Sanjay Raut flagged "haste" in the process, alleging that the "BJP does politics over dead bodies".
‘February 12’ merger claim
But it's not just a transition within the government at stake. There's also the future of the NCP.
Sharad Pawar has said that secret negotiations for a merger between the two factions were underway for four months. According to the former Union minister, Ajit Pawar had initiated the talks alongside leaders like Jayant Patil and Shashikant Shinde.
"Ajit Pawar believed the merger should take place on February 12," Sharad Pawar told reporters, adding that Ajit had expressed a desire to "move forward decisively" by reuniting the party.
Senior NCP(SP) leader Jayant Patil corroborated this, noting that Ajit had visited his home multiple times for meals and discussions to strengthen the NCP under the patriarch Sharad’s leadership. Some leaders claimed Ajit even wanted to announce the reunion as a "gift" for Sharad Pawar's birthday on December 12, though that plan was delayed.
‘Final’ video, unresolved questions
Adding weight to these claims, a purported video surfaced on social media on Saturday showing Sharad and Ajit Pawar engaged in deep discussion on January 17. NCP (SP) sources described this as the "final" meeting regarding the merger before Ajit’s ill-fated flight on January 28.
Despite these signs of a thaw, the two camps remain publicly distanced.
Sharad Pawar claimed he was not aware of the plan to appoint Sunetra Pawar as deputy CM and learned of it only through media reports. "It was their responsibility; we are different," he remarked, distancing his faction from the Mahayuti government's decisions.
Meanwhile, Sunil Tatkare, state president of the Ajit's NCP, initially refuted merger talk. He later acknowledged that discussions had occurred but only regarding contesting local elections together.
The two factions contested the recent urban civic body elections together in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, where they were ultimately crushed by a BJP landslide in the January 16 results.
This failure is believed to have hastened the reunion talks that Ajit Pawar was reportedly spearheading before the Learjet 45 plane crash claimed his life.
Family dynamics? Where Supriya, Parth, Rohit stand
The tragedy has forced a realignment within the Pawar dynasty. With Ajit gone, analysts are watching the roles of the next generation.
On Saturday, Ajit’s son Parth Pawar spent 90 minutes at Sharad Pawar’s residence in Baramati, sparking further speculation about the family’s political future.
While Parth and his brother Jay are being positioned to stabilise their father’s legacy in Baramati, Rohit Pawar, a grandnephew who remained loyal to Sharad Pawar during the 2023 split, continues to rise as a key figure. Supriya, already an MP, was seen carrying out family duties at Ajit's funeral.
Sharad Pawar, who is 85 and had hinted at retiring by late 2026, may now delay his exit to mentor the family through this vacuum, reports say.
When Supriya and Ajit campaigned together under the Ajit-held 'clock' symbol, there was straightforward analysis that ultimately they could work in the “original” party with Ajit as the chief. There was, thus, also talk of getting Supriya a berth in the central BJP-led government of PM Narendra Modi.
None of that was yet concretised or public.
Ajit and Supriya did address joint press conferences, with both camps acknowledging that their grassroots workers wanted a formal reunion. Ajit expressly hinted at permanent reconciliation, saying in an interview that he believed in the "politics of addition, not subtraction".
He claimed, with evidence of the Pune poll tie-up, that bitterness between the groups, if any, was all but gone.
Sule, on Saturday, before heading to New Delhi for the budget session of Parliament, paid a visit to Asha Pawar, the mother of late Ajit Pawar, at her residence in Katewadi village.
Speaking to reporters, Sule said, “I met Asha kaki and took her permission… She said 'yes, it's the country's budget', and that I should go. As the NCP's floor leader, my presence there is necessary.”
On Sunetra Pawar's oath-taking and other questions, Sule responded with folded hands and chanted gods' names: "Ram Krishna Hari."
