Sunetra Pawar to become Maharashtra Deputy CM days after Ajit Pawar's death, oath ceremony on Saturday
TWO days after Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar's death, his wife, Sunetra Pawar, is set to take over as the deputy CM chair and reins of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
Sources have said that Sunetra Pawar, a Rajya Sabha MP, will take oath as Maharashtra deputy chief minister on Saturday. The development comes even as the NCP leaders were mulling a ‘bigger’ role for Sunetra Pawar.
A legislature party meeting has also been called on Saturday, where Sunetra will be named as its leader, Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal said. The meeting of the NCP MLAs have been called at 2 pm on Saturday.
While the NCP will retain two of Ajit Pawar's portfolios, the Finance ministry is likely to go the BJP's camp. Sunetra will get Excise and sports portfolio in the Maharashtra cabinet, while the Finance portfolio will be taken over by Fadnavis, sources said.
NCP legislature party meeting on Saturday
Chhagan Bhujbal, while speaking to reporters, said Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has conveyed that he has no issues if Sunetra's oath-taking ceremony as the deputy CM takes place on Saturday.
“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.
Sunetra Pawar is currently a Rajya Sabha MP from NCP and not a member of either house of the Maharashtra legislature. However, the Baramati assembly seat has fallen vacant after Ajit Pawar's death.
Bhujbal further said that a final decision on the deputy CM post will be taken during the legislature party meeting.
"(Senior NCP leaders) Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare are looking into the technicalities of the mourning period and other finer details...Sometimes, there is a three-day mourning period and sometimes ten days," he said.
