Amid an uncertainty over the future of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) following the sudden death of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Maharashtra Food and Drugs Administration Minister Narhari Zirwal has called for the entry of the late leader's wife Sunetra Pawar into the state machinery. Currently, Sunetra is a Rajya Sabha MP in the Parliament.
Speaking to a news channel during Ajit Pawar's funeral on Thursday, Zirwal said people want 'vahini' (meaning sister-in-law in Marathi) to entry politics and the state machinery. "We will talk to the leadership about it and take a decision," Zirwal, a senior NCP leader and a close confidant of Ajit Pawar, was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
Reports have also emerged that senior leaders Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal, Dhananjay Munde and Sunil Tatkare have already met Sunetra in a bid to convince her to take the reins of the party as its national president. Reports suggest Sunetra may even contest from Ajit Pawar's seat, the Baramati Assembly constituency.
An NCP merger on cards?
A split in NCP took place in July 2023 after Ajit Pawar and his supporters decided to join the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Later, Ajit Pawar's faction was declared the real NCP and allotted the 'clock' symbol. However, lately speculations are being made that the two factions may merge again. Notably, the two factions had also contested in the municipal corporation elections in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad together.
When asked about the possibility of a meager, Zirwal said they are already together. "The two factions are already together. Everyone has realised that there is no point in remaining scattered and have to be together," PTI quoted Zirwal as saying.
The NCP is currently a part of the Mahayuti, the trilateral alliance of the BJP and Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena. At present, it has 41 seats in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and one Lok Sabha MP. Coming to the Mahayuti, the alliance has a clearly majority in the 288-member House, with 232 MLAs -- BJP 132, Shiv Sena 57 and NCP 41.
