Wife Sunetra, and Son Parth in focus as NCP faces post-Ajit power shift

The untimely death of Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar has meant that the party would have to quickly navigate the turbulent situation and decide who would lead the party in the absence of its leader. The NCP will also have to address questions on the possibility of merging with the NCP (Sharad Pawar) as had been reported earlier.

Ajit's wife Sunetra Pawar, a Rajya Sabha member, may be asked to lead the party and step into his role in the government. "She already represents the party in Delhi and, as a Pawar family member, is seen as the natural choice," a party leader said.

While there is no immediate threat of a split, with the NCP part of the BJP-Shiv Sena coalition and its leaders keen to enjoy power, the party will soon have to confront the leadership question as it stands at a crossroads.


The NCP had to face a drubbing in its former fiefdoms, including Pimpri Chinchwad and Pune Municipal Corporation polls, at the hands of the BJP recently. The defeat led the two NCP factions to discuss contesting the Zilla Parishad and Panchayat polls in an alliance and also discuss a merger with the Sharad Pawar-led faction.

The latter's death has meant that if the deal has to now go ahead, then fresh terms would have to be negotiated most likely.

Besides Sunetra, Ajit is survived by his two sons Parth and Jay. Parth is very keen to enter into politics and had contested the 2019 Lok Sabha polls unsuccessfully. If the two factions merge, then there would also be questions on whether Parth would have any role to play in politics. Parth may also lay his claim to contest Ajit Pawar's assembly seat in Baramati.