Sunetra Pawar For Deputy CM? NCP Leaders Push For Late Ajit Pawar’s Wife After Tragic Plane Crash

As Maharashtra reels from Deputy CM Ajit Pawar’s sudden death, senior party colleagues lobby CM Fadnavis while minister publicly backs widow’s elevation to the post

Mumbai, January 30, 2026 — In the aftermath of a devastating plane crash that claimed the life of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, pressure is mounting within the Nationalist Congress Party to appoint his widow, Rajya Sabha MP Sunetra Pawar, to the vacated deputy CM position.

Senior NCP functionaries convened for an extended meeting with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at his official Varsha residence in south Mumbai on Friday, as political uncertainty grips the state following Wednesday’s fatal accident. The 90-minute discussion involved key party figures including Chhagan Bhujbal, national working president Praful Patel, state president Sunil Tatkare, and former minister Dhananjay Munde.

While no formal announcements emerged from the closed-door talks, sources indicate the delegation addressed both the immediate leadership vacuum and the strategic direction for the NCP, a crucial partner in Maharashtra’s ruling Mahayuti coalition alongside the BJP and Shiv Sena.

The campaign for Sunetra Pawar’s appointment gained public momentum Thursday when NCP minister Narhari Zirwal openly advocated for her elevation to deputy chief minister. The 66-year-old Ajit Pawar, widely known as ‘Dada’ among supporters, had been a dominant force in state politics before his untimely demise.

The chartered aircraft carrying Pawar and four others crashed in his home constituency of Baramati in Pune district. He was laid to rest with full state honors Thursday, leaving behind questions about succession within both the party and government.

Adding another layer to the unfolding political drama, a close confidant of the late deputy CM revealed that Pawar had been actively pursuing reconciliation between rival NCP factions, with merger talks reportedly nearing fruition before the fatal crash.

The Chief Minister’s Office has yet to issue any statement regarding the deputy CM vacancy or potential successors, as the state navigates this unexpected political transition.