Mumbai: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) will hold a legislative party meeting on Saturday at 2 pm, where Sunetra Pawar, wife of the late Ajit Pawar, is expected to be elected as the new leader of the legislative party. Following this, she may take oath as the Deputy Chief Minister at Lok Bhavan in the evening.
This development comes after the sudden and untimely demise of former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash on Wednesday, marking a significant moment in Maharashtra’s political landscape.
State NCP chief Sunil Tatkare informed reporters that after meeting with the party’s executive president Prafulla Patel, the legislative party meeting was convened to elect the new leader.
After Sunetra Pawar agreed to take on this new responsibility, the NCP decided to hold the assembly session on January 31. Currently, Sunetra Pawar is a member of the Rajya Sabha.
On Saturday early morning, Sunetra Pawar along with her son Parth will depart from Baramati to Mumbai to attend the legislative party meeting.
Once formally elected, Sunil Tatkare will send an official letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis requesting the inclusion of Sunetra Pawar as the Deputy Chief Minister in the state cabinet.
Tatkare has also written to all party legislators, including 40 MLAs and 9 MLCs, urging their presence at the legislative party meeting scheduled at the Vidhan Bhavan on Saturday.
On Friday morning, a high-level NCP delegation met with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to discuss several matters, including appointing a new leader of the legislative party and Deputy Chief Minister following Ajit Pawar’s sudden death.
The delegation comprised executive president Prafulla Patel, state unit chief Sunil Tatkare, ministers Chhagan Bhujbal, Hasan Mushrif, and former minister Dhananjay Munde.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, executive president Prafulla Patel said discussions were held regarding the appointment of the new leader and Deputy Chief Minister. A legislative party meeting will be convened to elect the new leader.
He added that they have informed Fadnavis about the need to take prompt decisions regarding cabinet portfolios and leadership. The party will finalize its position after consulting all its legislators.
Patel further stated that the party intends to proceed with the process by taking into account the sentiments of its legislators, office bearers, and workers.
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