Sunetra Pawar, wife of deceased NCP president Ajit Pawar, was on Saturday sworn in as the first woman Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

The 62-year-old Pawar, who has resigned as Rajya Sabha MP, was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Acharya Devvrat at a brief ceremony at the Lok Bhavan here.

Earlier in the day, she was elected as the state NCP legislature party leader.

Ajit Pawar, who held the Deputy Chief Minister’s post as well as the finance portfolio in the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP `Mahayuti’ government, died in an air crash in Baramati on January 28.

Best wishes to Sunetra Pawar Ji as she begins her tenure as Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, the first woman to hold this responsibility. I am confident she will work tirelessly for the welfare of the people of the state and fulfil the vision of the late Ajitdada Pawar.…

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 31, 2026

Slogans like ” Ajit dada Amar Rahe” (Ajit dada is immortal) were raised as Sunetra Pawar rose to take the oath.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, NCP leaders Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare and Chhagan Bhujbal, among others, were present at the ceremony.

Sunetra Pawar’s younger son Jay Pawar and his wife were also present.

She is not a member of either house of the state legislature, and is expected to contest the byelection to the Baramati assembly constituency represented by her late husband.

Coming from a political family, the low-profile Sunetra Pawar made her electoral debut in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, facing off against her sister-in-law and incumbent NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule, in Baramati, the home turf of the Pawar family.

After losing to Sule, she was elected to the Rajya Sabha.

She now faces an uphill task of holding the NCP together and managing coalition politics while working with the BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. But her immediate challenge will be to decide whether to go ahead with the much-anticipated merger of the two NCP factions.

ALSO READ: Ajit Pawar’s Wife Sunetra To Take Oath As Maharashtra’s New Deputy Chief Minister: Sources

Sunetra had challenged Ajit’s cousin Supriya Sule, who was the sitting MP from Baramati, during the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. She was unsuccessful in her bid back then.

Once she takes oath as the deputy chief minister, she will be required to get elected to either of the two wings of Maharashtra’s legislature. Sunetra would be required get elected as an MLA in the Legislative Assembly or an MLC in Legislative Council. She is already a Member of the Rajya Sabha.

On Wednesday, Ajit Pawar was onboard along with two more personnel and two crew members in a private jet which crashed while landing. All five passengers on board died in the crash.

The aircraft was operated by a company called VSR and was a Learjet 45. The small aircraft, which took off from Mumbai around 8 a.m., crashed near Baramati airport during a landing attempt an hour later.

The 66-year-old politician was the nephew of veteran politician and NCP founder Sharad Pawar, who was in Delhi for the Parliament’s budget session.

In 2023, Ajit Pawar led the mutiny in NCP, which led to split in the party. It was divided into two factions, one was led by him and the other was led by Sharad Pawar. He later joined the NDA government and became the deputy chief minister.

However, recently there were talks of an NCP reunion as the two factions in the latest Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation contested together.

ALSO READ: Ajit Pawar No More: What Does His Death Mean For Maharashtra Politics?

Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu on Wednesday said AAIB will take an in-depth look into the plane crash at the Baramati airport, and there are no safety concerns regarding the aircraft’s operator.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others died in a Learjet 45 aircraft accident on Wednesday morning.

The aircraft, bearing registration VT-SSK, was being operated by the Delhi-based non-scheduled operator VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd.

Teams from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) are at the crash site, Naidu said.

Talking to media persons on the sidelines of the aviation summit Wings India 2026 about the crash, Naidu said, “We just need (an) in-depth look” at what happened that time.

The minister spoke after he visited the crash site at Baramati.

On whether there were any safety concerns related to the operator, Naidu replied in the negative.

ALSO READ: Baramati Plane Crash: ‘Lack Of Instrument Landing System’ May Have Contributed

“The DGCA has thoroughly checked, and all the approvals have been given, and the organisation also seems to have gone through one assessment last year itself…So, on that side, we don’t see any (concerns) and they have been handling many flights…,” the minister said.

Responding to queries about uncontrolled airfields and flying training organisations, the minister also said things will be looked at and if any reforms are required, “definitely, we will go ahead”.

The Pilot In Command (PIC) of the crashed plane had more than 15,000 flying hours and was an experienced person.

“So, there is no problem on that side…,” he said.

When asked whether the Learjets have any safety concerns globally, Naidu said nothing has come to their notice.

Describing it as a “very unfortunate incident”, Naidu also emphasised that he wants to talk only on the inputs from the AAIB.

In response to a query about rumours related to the accident, the minister said some are like false narratives and “I want to base what I am speaking on true facts”.

ALSO READ: Ajit Pawar Plane Crash: Sharad Pawar Rules Out Conspiracy, Urges ‘Not To Politicise’ Tragedy

The Baramati plane crash, which killed Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others on Wednesday, could have been avoided if the airport runway had been equipped with an instrument landing system to guide the pilot through marginal visibility, according to an aviation expert.

There is a need to ensure that all evidence at the crash site is preserved and not tampered with, as they will be crucial for the probe, which is being carried out by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), they said, adding that the (exact) cause of the accident can only be known after the investigation is completed.

“Baramati airport has a small field runway, but it is sufficient for (aircraft like) Learjet to land. I do not think that the runway would contribute to this crash, as it happened before or outside the runway.

“So, it is not the runway. (But) Yes, if the runway was equipped with ILS (instrument landing system) or other instrument systems that would guide the pilot properly during marginal visibility conditions, this (the crash) could have been avoided,” retired pilot Ehsan Khalid told PTI Video service.

The reported visibility was “marginal”, which means neither very good nor bad, and it was not so bad that it would have called for a diversion, he said, adding that “it was not something which we can call pure visual flight conditions to be like clear skies”.

“It appears that the aircraft had made an approach to land and thereafter it had gone round, which means it had aborted the landing and gone round in the first attempt of its landing,” Khalid said.

Stating that while the cause of the accident can only be known after the investigation is completed, he said as per the available information, “there is no clear evidence whether this go round was done because of no-contact with the runway or because of poor visibility or weather conditions or unstabilised approach”.

ALSO READ: Ajit Pawar Plane Crash: Sharad Pawar Rules Out Conspiracy, Urges ‘Not To Politicise’ Tragedy

While there are no details on that, he said the “first approach was carried out as a missed go round and thereafter this aircraft was on a second approach when it met with this accident”.

Khalid said as far as he knew, Baramati airfield does not have an instrument landing system, and so if there is a poor visibility condition, then the pilot and the aircraft have to actually navigate through absolute eye contact with the runway, and if the visibility is down, there is very little help that comes from the instruments.

Describing Sumit Kapoor — who had a flying experience of over 15,000 flying hours and was commanding the mid-size Learjet 45 small jet at the time of crash — a gentle soul, Khalid said, “I do not know what was the condition at that point of time in the cockpit or whether bad weather was coupled with some technical fault and that aggravated the situation so that the aircraft could not be controlled on approach”.

“I am at a loss to say why it happened, and I would not like to conjecture anything on this,” he said.

“If it is something that is related to the visibility and weather conditions, we do not have sufficient reports to actually come to any kind of a conclusion that there was a technical defect or not,” he said.

He also said that since there is no survivor in this crash, the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) will be recovered from the wreckage for forensic evidence by the investigators.

Moreover, the DGCA by now would have already taken into their possession all the technical documents related to this aircraft in Mumbai or wherever the technical documents are stored, so that they will see if there was any deficiency in the aircraft at the time of dispatch, which was not disclosed to the pilot, he said.

Generally, for such VIP flights, aircraft technical clearances are also considered to be very important, he added.

“First of all, the investigators will try to recover the black box of the aircraft and cordon off. As you can see from the pictures that we are getting from there, the people who’ve all surrounded the aircraft and the debris, and this is not the most ideal scene.

“I just hope they sanitise that area and ensure that nobody tampers with or tries to pick some of the evidence that will be crucial in the AAIB (probe),” said aviation expert Sanjay Lazar.

Baramati airport is a very well-equipped airport, while the mid-sized business jet Learjet 45 is an “extremely safe” aircraft, Lazar said.

Refusing to speculate on the cause of the crash at this time, he said, “I would rather like to see what will happen. They’ll collect the evidence, decode the black box and then they’ll be able to say what had happened. I’m not even sure if the pilot issued a mayday call or if it just occurred in a flash”.

He, however, said the pilots who fly the chief ministers, deputy chief ministers, and the cabinet ministers are highly-qualified pilots, and as it was a bright sunny day, “there’s really no reason for us to understand why this could have happened”.

ALSO READ: Ajit Pawar’s Remains Confirmed By Wristwatch After Air Crash

Nationalist Congress Party (SP) president Sharad Pawar on Friday sought to downplay his closed-door meeting with estranged nephew and Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar in Pune, and asserted no issue related to their respective parties was discussed.

Speaking to reporters in Kolhapur city, the former Union agriculture minister insisted discussion at the meeting solely centred around a sugar industry project.

Asked about the possibility of rival NCP factions, headed by him and Ajit Pawar, coming together and if this issue was touched up in the meeting, the veteran politician asserted no party-related matter was discussed.

“In the meeting, Ajit Pawar, myself and people associated with the (sugar industry) project were present,” he said.

The two politicians were in Pune to attend the annual general body meeting of the Vasantdada Sugar Institute (VSI), which is headed by the senior Pawar.

Deputy CM Ajit Pawar is a member of the Pune-based VSI, a prominent research institute of the sugar industry, and attended its annual general body meeting for the first time since the July 2023 split in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

During the AGM, Ajit Pawar sat at an arm’s length from his uncle, who heads the opposition NCP (SP). While the two were supposed to sit next to each other as per the initial arrangement, the deputy CM, who leads the ruling NCP, moved his nameplate one chair away, allowing Maharashtra Cooperation Minister Babasaheb Patil to sit between them.

Asked about the change in the seating arrangement, Sharad Pawar clarified Babasaheb Patil wanted to speak about certain things during the event and that is why he (state minister) sat next to him (senior Pawar).

A similar explanation was given by the junior Pawar.

“Babasaheb wanted to speak to Pawar saheb. I can speak to him (Sharad Pawar) anytime. Even if I sat one chair away, my voice is loud enough for someone further away to hear,” the deputy CM explained on Thursday when asked about the seat rearrangement.

At the VSI event, Ajit Pawar and NCP (SP) state unit president Jayant Patil, both political rivals, were also seen discussing something.

The NCP suffered a split in July 2023 when Ajit Pawar broke away from his uncle and joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government headed by then-Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday said the Jalgaon train accident was the result of a “sheer rumour” about fire by a tea-seller inside the Pushpak Express, which led to panic and some passengers jumping off.

Some passengers of the Lucknow-Mumbai Pushpak Express, who got off the train after an alarm chain-pulling incident, were run over by the Karnataka Express heading from Bengaluru to Delhi on the adjacent tracks in Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district on Wednesday evening.

Thirteen persons were killed and 15 injured in the accident, as per officials.

Speaking to the reporters in Pune, Mr Pawar said, “A tea-seller from the pantry shouted about a fire having broken out in a coach.” Two passengers from Shravasti in Uttar Pradesh heard it and conveyed the false alarm to others, leading to confusion and panic in their general coach and the adjoining one, he said.

Some of the scared passengers jumped off the train from both the sides to save themselves, Mr Pawar said.

As the train was speeding, a passenger pulled the alarm chain. “After the train halted, people started getting down and got run over by the Karnataka Express on the adjacent track,” he said.

The impact was so powerful that several passengers lost their lives and the bodies got mutilated, Mr Pawar said.

“The accident was the result of a sheer rumour about fire,” the deputy Chief Minister said.

Of the 13 persons who died, 10 have been identified, he said.

The two passengers, who reportedly spread the rumour, was among those injured in the incident, he said.

The district guardian minister and officials reached the spot and after some time, the movement of trains resumed in both the directions, he added. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Political turbulence in Maharashtra continues unabated, even after the assembly elections. Speculation is rife that eight MPs and ten MLAs from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), led by Sharad Pawar, are poised to join Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s faction. Reports suggest these legislators are in close contact with Ajit Pawar’s group and may announce their decision soon. There’s also talk of a potential reconciliation between the two factions of the NCP.

There are whispers that Sharad Pawar himself may join the ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra and align with the NDA government at the Centre. Efforts to resolve strained relationships at multiple levels seem to be underway to facilitate this transition.

Never one to shy away from a political challenge, Sharad Pawar, who has been grappling with isolation and a diminishing power base alongside his daughter, Supriya Sule, appears to be exploring new permutations to strike the best possible deal. As the saying goes, in politics, anything is possible.

However, predicting Sharad Pawar’s moves is no easy task. Political observers warn that any forecast about his next steps is fraught with risk.

Factors Driving a Reunion

The push for reconciliation began with a plea from Ajit Pawar’s mother, who urged the entire Pawar clan to come together following the assembly elections. This appeal was followed by encouraging signals from key stakeholders.

Chandrashekhar Bawankule, state BJP chief and considered close to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, recently stated that the BJP has no objection to a Sharad-Ajit reunion. Similarly, Ajit Pawar’s close ally, Praful Patel, has expressed support for the idea.

The possibility of a rapprochement gained further traction after the UBT-led Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece Saamana praised Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for his work in Naxal-affected Gadchiroli. Sharad Pawar’s NCP has also been warming up to Fadnavis.

The buzz intensified when Baramati MP and NCP leader Supriya Sule praised Chief Minister Fadnavis, who recently assumed office.

“The only person who is working very hard is Devendra Fadnavis; no one else is visible. Devendra ji is focused and working in mission mode, which is a good thing. We wish him all the best,” Sule said.

Despite these overtures, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP has not officially confirmed any move toward reconciliation.

“Some MPs and MLAs feel that being in the opposition will hinder development work in their constituencies over the next five years. Without access to government funds, they may struggle to deliver results. This has fuelled discussions about aligning with Ajit Pawar,” said Amol Matele, state spokesperson and Youth Mumbai President of the Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP.

Sources suggest groundwork for the reunion is already underway, with discussions taking place in Mumbai and Delhi to finalize the alliance. The primary sticking point remains Sharad Pawar’s concerns about securing a ministerial position at the Centre for his daughter.

Weighing the Possibilities

The leadership question within the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Maharashtra has been resolved following Ajit Pawar’s success in the assembly elections. Ajit Pawar has emerged as the de facto leader, a status cemented by his decision to ally with the NDA and the Mahayuti coalition.

With Ajit Pawar’s faction already recognized as the “real” NCP by the Election Commission of India, Sharad Pawar appears to be strategizing for an image-saving compromise. The Sharad Pawar faction (NCP-SP) also seems open to the delineated roles of Supriya Sule and Ajit Pawar in a possible reunited party.

“When the NCP was united, Supriya Sule was focused on national politics in the Lok Sabha, while Ajit Pawar handled key decisions in Maharashtra. Party workers are well aware of this dynamic. The idea that there is political competition between Sule and Ajit Pawar is a manufactured narrative with no basis,” says Amol Matele.

If the NCP(SP) MPs were to join the NDA, it would bolster the NDA’s strength in both Houses of Parliament.

Analyzing the unfolding political developments, senior journalist and commentator Rohit Chandavarkar observes: “Those familiar with Sharad Pawar believe he is unlikely to officially or openly align with the NDA or the BJP-led alliance for two reasons. Firstly, he has consistently upheld a left-of-center ideology. In every rally, he reiterates his commitment to the principles of Mahatma Phule, Chhatrapati Sahu, and Dr. Ambedkar. It’s unlikely he will abandon this path at the age of 84. Secondly, Sharad Pawar has confided to close associates that the BJP has a history of not sustaining alliances with its partners. Look at what happened with the Akali Dal and Uddhav Thackeray. Pawar fears that aligning with the BJP would jeopardize long-term prospects for his daughter Supriya Sule and other NCP leaders, as the BJP tends to dominate and sideline its allies.”

Meanwhile, leaders from the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)-comprising the Congress, the Shiv Sena (UBT), and the NCP-have dismissed the rumours, asserting that Sharad Pawar remains committed to the alliance. Any rapprochement with the BJP or NDA would be detrimental to the MVA in Maharashtra and the INDIA bloc at the national level.

Yet, given Sharad Pawar’s political style, few are willing to predict his next move. “Currently, Sharad Pawar has limited options for continuing as an independent political force in Maharashtra. But, as always with Pawar, nothing can be predicted with certainty,” Chandavarkar concludes.

(The author is Contributing Editor, NDTV)

You have voted for me, but that doesn’t mean you own me, said Ajit Pawar. (FILE)

Asha-tai Pawar, Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s mother, on Wednesday said she prayed to Lord Vitthal that her son and his estranged uncle Sharad Pawar should come together again.

Asha-tai visited the famous Vitthal and Rukmini temple at Pandharpur in the morning.

Talking to reporters outside the temple, she said, “I prayed that all the grievances within the Pawar family should end, and Ajit and Sharad Pawar come together again. I hope my prayers will be granted.” Her remarks came amid speculation that efforts to bring the rival factions of the Nationalist Congress Party together were underway after the Maharashtra assembly elections.

Ajit Pawar, who started out in politics as his uncle’s protege, parted ways with him after more than three decades by splitting the party and joining the Shiv Sena-BJP government in the state in July 2023.

In the legal battle that followed, Ajit Pawar secured the Nationalist Congress Party’s electoral symbol. His party also outperformed the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) in the recent Maharashtra assembly elections.

Asked about Asha-tai’s remarks, Praful Patel, a senior leader of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, said, “Sharad Pawar has always been like a father to us. We even met him last month to wish him happy birthday, but it was not a political meeting.

“Although we have taken a different political stand, we have always respected Sharad Pawar greatly,” Patel told reporters in Gadchiroli.

“If the Pawar family reunites, we would be very happy….I consider myself a part of the Pawar family,” he added.

He also said that “a reunion would not bring any disrespect to anyone.” Elsewhere, another NCP leader and Maharashtra minister Narhari Zirwal said he was too junior to speak on such matters, but a reunion would benefit party workers like him.

“We feel distressed (due to the split in the NCP), as we hold Sharad Pawar in great respect,” he added. 

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Nagpur:

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said he and his deputies Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde would work 24/7 in shifts.

“Ajit Pawar will work in the morning since he is an early riser. I am on duty from noon to midnight while throughout the night… you all know who,” Mr Fadnavis said, referring to Mr Shinde, who is known to work till late hours.

He was replying to a debate in the legislative assembly on the motion of thanks to the Governor for his joint address to both Houses of the state legislature during the ongoing Winter Session in Nagpur.

Turning to Ajit Pawar, Mr Fadnavis said in the legislative, “You are called ‘permanent deputy CM’… but my wishes are with you… you will be the Chief Minister someday.” Ajit Pawar on December 5 took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra for the sixth time.

The NCP leader, who has been vocal about his chief ministerial ambitions, split the Sharad Pawar-founded Nationalist Congress Party in 2023 and joined the BJP-led Mahayuti government.

In the ensuing battle for the party name and its ‘clock’ symbol, his faction got both. His uncle and veteran politician Sharad Pawar now heads NCP (SP), an ally of the Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) under the banner of the Maha Vikas Aghadi.

After a severe drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls that saw NCP bagging only one seat, Ajit Pawar’s party made an impressive comeback in the recently held assembly elections, emerging victorious in 41 of the 57 constituencies where it was in the fray.

The Mahayuti alliance of BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP won over 230 of the state’s 288 assembly seats, while MVA could manage to grab only 46.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)