Three weeks after the demise of Ajit Pawar in a plane crash, his wife Sunetra Pawar, the Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister, has been elected unopposed as the NCP chief. While Sunetra’s appointment as the party national president – the post held by Ajit besides being the Depuy CM – was a foregone conclusion, her elevation has sent out significant political signals.
Addressing the NCP leaders soon after her unanimous election at their meeting in Mumbai Monday, Sunetra said the party will continue to work for Maharashtra’s welfare and development, which she referred to as her late husband’s dream. “Ajit Pawar was known for his administrative control and development works. This will remain the NCP’s identity,” she said.
At the meeting of the NCP brass, senior party leader Praful Patel proposed Sunetra’s candidature, which received a unanimous response from all those present, sources said. She is set to formally take charge as the NCP chief at the party’s executive meeting on February 26.
Her message also came at a meeting of the Minorities Welfare Department, a portfolio she holds, Monday, where she emphasised her commitment to the minority upliftment. “The government is committed to the social, economic and cultural upliftment of minorities in the state. The department must continue to function according to the policies laid down by the late Ajit Pawar,” she said.
Though her remark seemed routine, many in political circles believe it was a subtle message to her Mahayuti allies — the BJP and the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde — as well as the Opposition, that the NCP will continue to practise “inclusive politics and governance”.
This is in line with Ajit’s politics, who, despite being allied with Hindutva parties like the BJP and Shiv Sena, kept the NCP distanced from their polarising stances and remarks, maintaining that his party would follow the Shahu-Ambedkar-Phule ideology.
“Our politics have been inclusive since the NCP was formed in 1999. We do not discriminate on the basis of caste, community and religion. Ajit Pawar had often disapproved of communal and divisive politics. The NCP will continue to move ahead in the same direction,” a senior NCP minister said.
One such NCP disapproval came in December last year when Ajit and his MLAs skipped a trip to the RSS headquarters in Nagpur to pay obeisance to Sangh founder K B Hedgewar.
Earlier, during the campaign for the 2024 Assembly polls, Ajit had publicly dissociated himself from the BJP’s “batenge toh katenge (divided we fall)” pitch.
Ajit had maintained that he joined the Mahayuti to ensure Maharashtra’s development. “Every party follows a certain ideology. While there are three parties in the Mahayuti, their approach to politics is different. However, we are united on the governance front as the development of Maharashtra is our priority,” an NCP insider said.
Minority welfare
During the meeting of the Minorities Welfare Department, Sunetra stressed the equitable and transparent disbursal of funds for the welfare of minorities, urging the department to function in a more people-centric and accountable manner.
She directed officials to conduct detailed enquiries into cases where minority certificates were improperly issued to schools and to initiate action against erring officials.
Sunetra also hiked the education loan ceiling of the Maulana Azad Corporation from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 20 lakh, and infrastructure grants under the Zakir Husain Madrasa Modernisation Scheme from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.
Pointing out that vacancies were hampering effective administration, the NCP chief ordered urgent recruitment in the Waqf Board, Waqf Tribunal and Haj Committee, while directing officials to review the functioning of the Minorities Research and Training Institute (MRTI).
Merger on backburner
Another ripple effect of Sunetra’s elevation is a halt in merger talks between the NCP and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP). According to sources, Ajit had supported the merger keeping in mind the political challenge from the BJP, which was looking to expand in the state under its “shat pratishat BJP (100% BJP)” mission. “Before his untimely death, he had also embarked on a mission to strengthen the NCP and retain the party’s hold at the grassroots, especially in its bastions like western Maharashtra,” a party source said.
Several senior NCP leaders like Jayant Patil, Rohit Pawar and Shashikant Shinde had earlier admitted that the discussions on the merger between the two NCP factions were at an advanced stage and were likely to be announced by mid-February. However, sources said a decision to strengthen the NCP under Sunetra was taken at Monday’s meeting.