‘No idea about swearing-in’: Sharad Pawar distances himself from Sunetra Pawar’s rise

Maharashtra NCP (SP) president Shashikant Shinde on Saturday reiterated that party chief Sharad Pawar had no prior knowledge of Sunetra Pawar’s swearing-in as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra. He said the development came as a surprise to the party leadership at a time when the state was mourning the death of Ajit Pawar .

Shinde has been consistently maintaining that the decision was taken without consultation with Sharad Pawar or senior NCP (SP) leaders, even though discussions on unifying the two NCP factions were underway before Ajit Pawar’s death.

Sunetra Pawar (62) , wife of the late Ajit Pawar, was sworn in on Saturday as the first woman Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra . Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash in Baramati on January 28 , triggering widespread mourning across the state and within the Nationalist Congress Party.

Reacting to Sunetra Pawar’s swearing-in, Sharad Pawar said he had “no idea” about the ceremony and was not informed in advance. He added that his nephew Ajit Pawar had finalised February 12 as the date to announce the merger of the two NCP factions , a process that now appears uncertain following the tragic accident.

“All discussions were held at their level, but now it seems the entire process may face a roadblock ,” Sharad Pawar said.

Shinde said that in the three months preceding Ajit Pawar’s meeting with Sharad Pawar on January 17 , eight to ten rounds of talks had taken place regarding reunification of the two NCP factions. According to him, after the recent civic elections in Maharashtra , a decision was taken to move towards unification and this position was conveyed to Sharad Pawar.

“There had been discussions and meetings on the two NCPs coming together. Some broad positions had been agreed upon earlier. Now, we will discuss what needs to be done and then take a decision,” Shinde told reporters.

On questions surrounding the haste in conducting Sunetra Pawar’s swearing-in ceremony during a period of mourning, Shinde said the answers should come from her family, senior party leaders, or the chief minister and his colleagues.

“Ajit Pawar’s passing is a great loss to Maharashtra. When the state is in mourning, why this decision was taken is not known to us. They will have to explain it,” he said.

Referring to a viral video of the January 17 meeting, Shinde clarified that it took place at Sharad Pawar’s residence and not at NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil’s house. The video shows Sharad Pawar seated at the centre, with Ajit Pawar, Jayant Patil, Rajesh Tope, Harshwardhan Patil, Rohit Pawar, Amol Kolhe and Shashikant Shinde holding discussions on the merger proposal.

Kiran Gujar , a close associate of Ajit Pawar and the Pawar family in Baramati, confirmed that the meeting was aimed at finalising merger talks . “The meeting took place on January 17, and Ajit Dada told me about the outcome on January 21,” Gujar said.

Shinde added that candidates had contested the civic elections across Maharashtra on the NCP symbol and it had been decided that a final call on unification would be taken after the results were declared.

Asked whether Ajit Pawar had faced resistance from senior leaders in pushing for a merger, Shinde said he had no information on that aspect.

“After completing all processes, we will try to bring leaders from both sides together and hold discussions. Based on the decisions they take, we will decide our next course of action ,” he said.

The sudden swearing-in of Sunetra Pawar as Deputy Chief Minister, without prior intimation to Sharad Pawar, has added a new layer of political uncertainty to the already fragile merger talks between the two NCP factions.