Sharad Pawar said he has no information about Sunetra Pawar’s reported swearing-in as deputy chief minister and learnt about it through the media.
He indicated that the decision, if any, was taken by NCP leaders like Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare, not by him.
Pawar said the late Ajit Pawar had wanted a merger of both NCP factions, but his death halted the planned unification.
Sharad Pawar Distances Himself from Sunetra Pawar DCM Move
Amid intense political speculation in Maharashtra, Sunetra Pawar likely to be sworn in as deputy chief minister after the demise of Ajit Pawar. NCP (SP) and Pawar family chief Sharad Pawar has distanced himself, saying he has no knowledge of the move and learnt about it only through media.
Summary
Amid intense political twists, Sunetra Pawar is likely to be sworn in as Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister. However, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday publicly distanced himself from the development, saying he learnt about it only through media reports.
Speaking in Baramati, Pawar said he had no information about the swearing-in or whether any family member would attend, adding that the decision appeared to have been taken within the NCP leadership. He pointed to leaders such as Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare as those who may have initiated the move. PTI reported.
Pawar also said his late nephew Ajit Pawar had wanted a merger of the two NCP factions, noting that talks initiated by Ajit Pawar, Shashikant Shinde and Jayant Patil were underway and even a date had been fixed, before his untimely death.
Following Ajit Pawar’s death in the January 28 Baramati air crash, a section of NCP leaders has been pressing for Sunetra Pawar, a Rajya Sabha MP, to replace him in the Devendra Fadnavis-led cabinet. NCP (AP) leaders have also called a meeting in Mumbai on Saturday to elect their legislative party leader.
(With inputs from PTI)
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