Responding to questions about the possibility of Sunetra Pawar being appointed as Deputy Chief Minister, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that any such decision would be taken by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). He stated that whatever decision the NCP makes, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will stand firmly by it.
The Maharashtra CM added that whether it is Ajit Pawar’s family or the NCP as a party, the BJP and the government will extend their full support.
Notably, a crisis hit the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) after the party chief and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was killed after the aircraft carrying him crashed during landing in Baramati.
Sunetra Pawar likely to take oath as Maharashtra deputy CM
Sunetra Pawar, wife of NCP leader Ajit Pawar, is set to take over as the next Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra after the latter’s death in a plane crash, as per the party sources. In another key decision, Rajya Sabha MP Praful Patel will be appointed as the new national president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
Sources said the NCP will hold a legislative party meeting at 2 pm on Saturday, where Sunetra Pawar is expected to be chosen as the party’s leader in the state assembly. After this, she is likely to be sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister at around 5 pm at Mumbai’s Raj Bhavan. Preparations for the oath-taking ceremony are already underway.
Ajit Pawar’s last rites were performed with full state honours in Baramati on Thursday. Leaders across the political spectrum, including Amit Shah and Devendra Fadnavis, attended his funeral and expressed their condolences to the Pawar family.
According to officials, the small chartered aircraft took off from Mumbai at around 8 am. Nearly 45 minutes later, it crashed while attempting to land near Baramati airport. Ajit Pawar was travelling with four others, and none of the passengers survived the accident.
