Sunetra Pawar to be Maharashtra Deputy CM after Ajit Pawar’s death? NCP leader drops a big hint
Senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal said a consensus has been reached to appoint Sunetra Pawar as the Legisltaure party leader and a confirmation will come in a few hours.
Senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal on Friday said that a consensus has been reached on appointing Sunetra Pawar as the NCP Legislative Party leader in Maharashtra in the wake of Ajit Pawar's tragic death in a plane crash in Baramati on Wednesday.
Speaking to reporters, Bhujbal said the party wanted the CLP meeting to be convened immediately to elect its leader. However, the decision was deferred due to a recent death, following which a period of mourning is traditionally observed.
“We wanted the legislators’ meeting to be called yesterday itself and the CLP leader to be chosen. But when there is a death, a few days are kept aside for mourning,” Bhujbal said.
He added that selecting the CLP leader remains the top priority for the party. “Right now, the priority is to choose the CLP leader. A decision in this regard could be taken in the next 2 to 3 hours," he said.
Sunetra Pawar is still in Baramati
Sunetra Pawar is currently in Baramati, and it is still unclear whether she will travel to Mumbai on Saturday. According to Bhujbal, the party wants the legislators’ meeting to be held on Saturday itself so that the Congress Legislative Party leader can be chosen. However, he said no MLA has so far been asked to come to Mumbai.
He added that as the Pawar family is in mourning, there has been no communication from the family to NCP leaders regarding Sunetra Pawar’s travel to Mumbai. "No MLA has been told to come to Mumbai yet," Bhujbal said.
Ajit Pawar's shocking demise
Pawar (66), fondly known as Dada, and 4 others were killed after the aircraft carrying them crashed barely 200 metres from the edge of the tabletop airstrip at Baramati on Wednesday morning. He was cremated with full state honours on Thursday at the Vidya Pratishthan College ground in Baramati, about 100 kms from Pune, in the presence of senior political leaders and thousands of people.
On Friday, Pawar’s sons Parth and Jay collected his ashes from the cremation ground. NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, the late leader’s uncle, along with other family members, was present during the ritual. Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Crime Investigation Department has begun its probe into the Baramati plane crash that claimed the lives of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and 4 others, an official said on Friday.
State police have issued orders transferring the accidental death case registered at Baramati in Pune district to the CID, following the January 28 crash.
Those killed in the incident included Captain Sumit Kapoor, who had 15,000 hours of flying experience, co-pilot Captain Shambhavi Pathak with 1500 hours of experience, Pawar’s personal security officer Vidip Jadhav, and flight attendant Pinky Mali.
The official said a CID team has already started work and will collect all relevant documents from the Pune Rural police.
Also read: Inside Ajit Pawar's blueprint for NCP reunification