Will Sunetra Pawar Be DCM? Pawar Family To Decide Soon

'The entire Pawar family -- Sunetra Vahini, Jay and Parth Pawar (Ajit Pawar's sons), Sharad Pawar, his daughter Supriya Sule -- will sit together and decide how to move forward.'

Former Maharashtra home minister and senior Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Anil Deshmukh told Rediff that a merger of the two NCP factions has been in the works with Ajit Pawar working on the details before he died in the plane crash in Baramati on January 28, 2026.

'Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar were both keen'

"It was his profound wish that the two factions should come together," Deshmukh said.

"Talks between the NCP and NCP (SP) were ongoing before the tragic death (of Ajit Pawar)," Deshmukh said over the phone.

The two NCP factions, incidentally, had fought, without much success, the recent nagar panchayat and municipal corporation elections in Pimpri-Chinchwad and Pune as an alliance after their formal split in July 2023, giving ample indications about the direction in which the two factions were headed.

"Earlier too, talks had been initiated and were almost finalised. At that time, just after the political developments and the split, both parties had come close to merging," Deshmukh added.

"Even now, discussions are going on," he informed when asked if Ajit Pawar's sudden death could hasten the merger process.

"It was almost decided earlier, and yes, Ajit Dada had taken the lead in this. He was very keen."

NCP (SP) President Sharad Pawar is equally keen that the two parties should come together, Deshmukh said.

"Pawar saheb is also keen. That is also the reason why, during the Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal corporation elections, things were moving in that direction," Deshmukh added.

On Sunetra Pawar becoming the next DCM

When asked if all the MLAs from the two NCP factions were on board on the merger proposal, Deshmukh said, "We have only one wish -- the wish that Ajit Dada had. Today, Maharashtra has lost a very senior leader; his absence is a huge loss to politics. But his final wish was that both parties should come together, and talks should move forward in that direction. Many leaders from both parties believe this."

The entire Pawar family, Deshmukh said, will sit together "sometime soon" and decide on the next course of action including the growing demand within the Ajit Pawar camp that his wife Sunetra Pawar should replace him in the Maharashtra government as the deputy chief minister.

Four MLAs from the Ajit Pawar camp told this correspondent that nobody in the party had any difference on the issue of Sunetra Pawar assuming the mantle of DCM.

"Who can possibly oppose such a move? And why?" asked one of the NCP MLAs when asked if a consensus is building among the legislators to propose Sunetra Pawar's name as the next DCM replacing her late husband.

"All of us are of that opinion," said another NCP MLA and expressed the possibility of sending a formal proposal to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

"Now, the entire Pawar family -- Sunetra Vahini, Jay and Parth Pawar (Ajit Pawar's sons), Sharad Pawar, his daughter Supriya Sule) -- will sit together and decide how to move forward," said Deshmukh.

"This (Ajit Pawar's funeral) only happened yesterday. In such a situation, after meeting Sunita vahini and meeting Pawar saheb, political discussions can happen," said Deshmukh.

About fighting the forthcoming zilla parishad elections in Maharashtra, Deshmukh said that both parties would be contesting in an alliance and despite the shock of Ajit Pawar's tragic death party workers are adequately prepared to win these elections.

"Winning zilla parishad elections will be the best tribute party workers and leaders can pay to Ajit Dada," Deshmukh said.