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Ajit Pawar
NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar left for Mumbai from Baramati on Sunday morning, four days after the air crash that claimed the life of his nephew and Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar. NCP leader Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra Pawar, who took oath as deputy CM in Mumbai on Saturday, returned to Baramati in Pune, the hometown of the Pawars, late at night. It was unclear whether Sharad Pawar and Sunetra Pawar met or spoke over the phone amid the latest political developments and talks about the merger of the two NCP factions. Sharad Pawar has no scheduled programmes in Mumbai. His daughter and Baramati Lok Sabha member Supriya Sule left for Delhi on Saturday to attend the budget session. The NCP (SP) chief on Saturday claimed that he had "no idea" about the swearing-in of Sunetra Pawar as deputy chief minister, and said his late nephew had finalised February 12 to announce a merger between the NCP factions. He also said the process to merge the NCP (SP) and NCP may now face
NCP (SP) Maharashtra president Shashikant Shinde has claimed his party chief Sharad Pawar and other leaders had no prior knowledge about NCP leader Sunetra Pawar's swearing-in as the state's Deputy Chief Minister. He also said that after the recent civic elections in the state, a decision was made to pursue the unification of the two parties. Sunetra Pawar (62), wife of Ajit Pawar who died in a plane crash in Pune's Baramati town on January 28, was on Saturday sworn in as the first woman deputy CM of Maharashtra. Sharad Pawar did not have prior knowledge about her swearing-in, Shinde told reporters on Saturday. "There had been discussions and meetings on the two NCPs coming together. But Ajitdada is no more. Some broad positions had been discussed earlier. Now, we will discuss what needs to be done and then make a decision. How others respond is their call," he said. On questions over the apparent haste in conducting Sunetra Pawar's swearing-in ceremony, Shinde said the answers sh
Rajya Sabha member Sunetra Pawar was unanimously elected as the leader of the NCP legislature party in Maharashtra on Saturday, three days after the death of her husband and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. She is set to take oath as the first woman Deputy Chief Minister of the state later in the day. Sunetra Pawar's name as the NCP's legislature party leader was proposed by senior leader Dilip Walse Patil and seconded by Food and Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal. She was elected during a meeting of the party's legislature wing, held at the office of late Ajit Pawar on the ground floor of the Vidhan Bhavan complex in south Mumbai. Ajit Pawar, who was deputy chief minister and finance minister in the Devendra Fadnavis-led Mahayuti government, was killed in a plane crash in Baramati along with four others on January 28. Sunetra Pawar paid floral tributes to a portrait of her late husband in the meeting hall. Their younger son Jay was also present. Many ministers and legisla
The process to merge the NCP (SP) and NCP may now face a roadblock due to the death of Ajit Pawar, said Sharad Pawar on Saturday. Nationalist Congress Party chief and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was killed along with four others after a Learjet 45 aircraft they were travelling in crashed at Baramati, his hometown here, on January 28. The process to merge the two factions was underway for the past four months under Ajit Pawar and Jayant Patil, the NCP (SP) chief told reporters in Baramati. "All discussions were held at their level, but it now appears the process may hit a roadblock following the (plane) accident. The talks were progressing in a positive direction, but the accident adversely affected the process," the former Union minister said. Efforts were being made to establish cordial dialogue between the two factions, he added. Asked whether the merger process would continue, Sharad Pawar said he did not know as he was not part of these discussions. "It was A
Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday said he did not expect the merger of two Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) factions - each headed by Ajit Pawar, who was killed in a plane crash two days ago, and his uncle Sharad Pawar. He said that the NCP, as part of the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra, has performed very well. "I personally do not see that will happen," he told PTI in an interview when asked his views on the talks of the merger of the two NCP factions. Goyal said that the NCP leadership "was with Ajit Pawar and now with Sunetra Pawar Ji". He added that Praful Patel has been appointed as the national president of the Nationalist Congress Party. "I don't see Mr Sharad Pawar being invited to join the NCP, given that he has lost the people's trust and the vote," he added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday extended his best wishes to Sunetra Pawar, who became the first woman deputy chief minister of Maharashtra. "Best wishes to Sunetra Pawar Ji as she begins her tenure as Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, the first woman to hold this responsibility," Modi said in a post on X. "I am confident she will work tirelessly for the welfare of the people of the state and fulfil the vision of the late Ajitdada Pawar," the prime minister said. Ajit Pawar died in an air crash in Baramati on January 28. He was the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra and the NCP president. On Saturday, Sunetra Pawar was elected as the leader of the NCP Legislature Party. She was administered an oath of office and secrecy as a minister by Governor Acharya Devvrat and was designated the deputy chief minister.
Amid reports that Sunetra Pawar, wife of Ajit Pawar, will be sworn in as the Maharashtra deputy chief minister, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday distanced himself from the development, claiming he had no idea about it. Addressing a press conference in Baramati, Pawar said that he had found out about the swearing-in through media reports. "We don't know about the swearing-in. We got to know about it through the news. I have no idea about the swearing-in," he said, when asked if anyone from the Pawar family would be attending the ceremony. He said the NCP must have made the decision. "Some people like Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare took the initiative. These people might have decided something," he said. The veteran leader further claimed that it was his late nephew Ajit Pawar's wish to unite both factions, and that they were optimistic about it. "Now we feel his wish should be fulfilled. Ajit Pawar, Shashikant Shinde and Jayant Patil had initiated the talks about the merger
Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal on Friday said the legislature party meeting of the NCP will be held on January 31, where late Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra will be named as its leader. Talking to reporters at the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) office here, Bhujbal said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has conveyed that he has no issues if her oath-taking ceremony as the deputy CM takes place on Saturday itself provided a decision to that effect is taken by the legislature wing of the party. Sunetra Pawar is currently a Rajya Sabha MP and not a member of either house of the Maharashtra legislature. However, the Baramati assembly seat in Pune district has fallen vacant after Ajit Pawar's death in a plane crash on Wednesday. "The legislature party meeting of the NCP will be convened on Saturday, where Sunetra Pawar will be named as its leader. Many leaders want her to become the deputy CM," Bhujbal said. The most important thing is to fill the vacant post of
Senior NCP leaders on Friday met Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis here, amid uncertainty over the party's future following the death of Deputy CM Ajit Pawar in a plane crash. The meeting at the CM's official residence Varsha in south Mumbai, which lasted nearly one and a half hours, was attended by senior NCP leaders, including Chhagan Bhujbal, national working president Praful Patel, state president Sunil Tatkare and former minister Dhananjay Munde, sources said. According to the sources in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the leaders met Fadnavis to deliberate on the political situation in the state and the way forward for the party after Pawar's sudden demise. However, it was not immediately clear what transpired during the discussions, and there was no official statement from either side after the meeting. The NCP, which Pawar headed, the BJP and Shiv Sena are the constituents of the ruling Mahayuti alliance in the state. NCP minister Narhari Zirwal on Thursda
The Black Box of the Learjet 45 aircraft that crashed near the Baramati airstrip on Wednesday has been recovered, the Civil Aviation Ministry said. A Black Box is a small device that records information about an aircraft during its flight. It helps in the investigation of aviation accidents. The ministry said that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) investigation into the plane crash, which killed Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and four others, is progressing expeditiously. AAIB has the mandate to investigate all accidents and serious incidents involving aircraft with a gross weight of 2,250 kg and more or turbojet aircraft. On Wednesday, AAIB was asked to probe the plane crash. "The investigation is progressing expeditiously, and the Black Box of the ill-fated aircraft has been recovered," the Civil Aviation Ministry said in a post on X. Five people, including Pawar, his personal security officer and attendant, as well as two cockpit crew -- ...
In an apparent snub to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said the plane crash involving his nephew Ajit Pawar and four others was an accident which shouldn't be politicised. Addressing reporters, he said Ajit's death was a big shock for Maharashtra, which has lost a hardworking and efficient leader, and this loss is irreparable. "Not all things are in our hands," he added. "A stand was floated from Kolkata that there is some politics involved in this incident. But there is nothing like this. There is no politics in it. It was an accident. I request not to bring politics into it," he added. Banerjee has demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the death of Ajit Pawar, alleging that "all other agencies" have been "completely compromised". Stressing that the truth would not emerge through existing mechanisms, Banerjee said only a probe under the supervision of the Supreme Court would be credible.
