Mumbai : Leaders of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Friday met Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and staked claim to the portfolios held by party chief and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who was killed in a plane crash on Wednesday. The NCP is set to submit a formal letter demanding that the portfolios previously held by Pawar, including the crucial Finance, State Excise and Sports departments, remain within the party’s quota.
“We are partners in the Mahayuti alliance, so we have to take the right decision to fill the post held by Ajit Pawar as soon as possible. At the same time, I want to clarify that we need to consider the jan bhavna (public sentiment) before taking any decision. We must give the family some time to come out of their grief. We will soon discuss the party’s future course with Sunetra Pawar and the family,” he said.
It has also cast uncertainty over the party’s future leadership, with Ajit Pawar’s passing leaving a significant vacuum. The NCP has convened a legislative party meeting on Sunday, where Ajit Pawar’s wife and Rajya Sabha MP Sunetra Pawar is likely to be elected leader of the legislative party, which is part of the ruling Mahayuti alliance along with the BJP and the Shiv Sena.
Speculation over a possible reunion of the factions has also gathered pace, with leaders from the Sharad Pawar camp claiming that talks on an NCP merger were already at an advanced stage. Former Minister and senior NCP (SP) leader Anil Deshmukh said that a merger of the two factions was Ajit Pawar’s last wish and that it should be honoured. He added that the “entire Pawar family” would come together in the coming days to deliberate and take a call on all pending issues.
Ajit Dada was keen on taking a final decision on the merger after the corporation elections, but the announcement of the Zilla Parishad polls delayed the process. However, he was 100 per cent certain about the merger and had already begun taking the necessary steps, Deshmukh said.
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