Senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SP) leader Sharad Pawar has made it clear that the decision to appoint Sunetra Pawar as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra was taken by the party, without consulting the Pawar family. Speaking to reporters in Baramati, Sharad Pawar said he came to know about Sunetra Pawar’s oath-taking ceremony only through media reports.
Sunetra Pawar, wife of the late Ajit Pawar, is set to take over a major political responsibility following Ajit Pawar’s tragic death in a plane crash earlier this week. The move has drawn attention not only because of its political significance but also due to the complex family dynamics within the Pawar clan.
When asked whether he felt sidelined in the decision-making process regarding Ajit Pawar’s successor, Sharad Pawar responded briefly, saying he had no information about how the decision was taken. He also stated that he was unaware of the details of the swearing-in ceremony scheduled for Saturday evening and could not confirm whether any member of the Pawar family would attend.
Sharad Pawar’s remarks underline a clear separation between family ties and political decisions, especially in the backdrop of the 2023 split in the NCP, when Ajit Pawar broke away from his uncle’s faction to form a separate group. Since then, relations between the two sides have remained politically strained, despite occasional talks of reconciliation.
According to NCP (SP) leaders, Ajit Pawar had been keen on reuniting the two factions and hoped to announce a merger around Sharad Pawar’s birthday in December last year. However, the reunion did not materialise. Sources also indicate that discussions on a possible reunion took place as recently as January, with a potential announcement expected in mid-February.
For now, Sharad Pawar has chosen to maintain distance from the latest development, signalling that the party’s decisions will follow their own course, independent of family considerations.
