Sunetra Pawar elected as NCP national president
What's the story
Sunetra Pawar has been elected as the national president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). This comes just a month after her husband and former Deputy CM, Ajit Pawar, died in a plane crash, along with four others. Sunetra is also contesting in the bye-election from Baramati, a constituency her late husband represented eight times.
Party progress
Ajit Pawar passes away
The NCP had a strong showing in the recent local elections, winning the Pune Zilla Parishad and making gains in Kolhapur and other panchayat samitis. Ajit, who was Maharashtra's deputy chief minister six times under different coalition governments, was remembered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a "leader of the people." He was "widely respected as a hardworking personality at the forefront of serving the people of Maharashtra," Modi said.
Political shift
The downfall of Ajit Pawar
Ajit was long seen as the natural successor to his uncle as party chief, but their differing political styles led to friction. In 2019, he first attempted a rebellion, which failed. However, in 2023, he was instrumental in a major political realignment in Maharashtra. He broke away from the NCP and formed his own faction. His party later joined the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance. Ajit became deputy chief minister after the coup.