Sunetra Pawar took oath as Deputy Chief Minister at a sober ceremony held at Lok Bhavan on Saturday, January 31. Jay Pawar was present, but the absence of Parth Pawar raised questions. On the day the ashes of late Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar were collected, Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare met CM Devendra Fadnavis. That same night, Sunetra Pawar left for Mumbai with her son Jay. In all these developments, Sharad Pawar was reportedly kept in the dark. Speaking to reporters on the morning of the swearing-in, Sharad Pawar said he had no information.
Amid these developments, claims surfaced regarding a possible merger of the two factions of the National Congress Party (NCP). Sharad Pawar said the merger talks were in their final stages and that everything had been decided, with an announcement expected on February 12. Jayant Patil supported this claim, saying he and Ajit Pawar had held several meetings, and Ajit Pawar strongly insisted on a merger.
After Sharad Pawar’s press conference, Parth Pawar reached Govindbagh in Baramati to meet him. Sharad Pawar, Supriya Sule, Rohit Pawar, and Yugendra Pawar were present. Meanwhile in Mumbai, the process of selecting Sunetra Pawar as the legislature party leader was completed. She took oath as Deputy Chief Minister at 5 pm, while Parth Pawar was in Baramati at the time.
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Now discussions have started about the post of NCP national president. BJP leader and Union Minister Piyush Goyal said Praful Patel had been appointed NCP national president and claimed there was no possibility of a party merger. Soon after the report surfaced, Praful Patel clarified that he had not been appointed and that any decision would be taken only after discussions with MLAs, leaders, and workers. Sunil Tatkare also confirmed that Patel had not been appointed. The BJP leader’s remarks have sparked political debates.
Sunetra Pawar has resigned from her Rajya Sabha seat. Parth Pawar is reportedly keen to replace her, but the BJP is said to be opposed to his nomination because he is under investigation in a Pune land scam case. The BJP is reportedly open to supporting Jay Pawar instead. It will become clear in the coming days who NCP will send to the Rajya Sabha.