Maharashtra is poised to appoint its first woman Deputy Chief Minister, with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) scheduling a legislature party meeting to elect Sunetra Pawar as the new legislative party leader and Deputy Chief Minister. This decision follows the recent tragic passing of former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash. Sunetra Pawar is expected to be sworn in at the Lok Bhavan later in the evening.
State NCP chief Sunil Tatkare, after meeting with party working president Praful Patel, announced that the legislature party meeting is set for January 31, with Sunetra Pawar’s consent to take on the new role. Sunetra Pawar, currently a Rajya Sabha member, will travel from Baramati to Mumbai with her son Parth for the meeting.
Once formally elected, State NCP chief Sunil Tatkare will send a letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, requesting Sunetra Pawar’s induction into the state cabinet as the Deputy Chief Minister. The NCP has urged all party legislators to attend the legislative party meeting at Vidhan Bhavan on Saturday.
A high-level NCP delegation recently met with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to discuss various issues, including the appointment of the legislative party leader and Deputy Chief Minister following Ajit Pawar’s untimely demise. The delegation comprised party working president Praful Patel, state unit chief Sunil Tatkare, ministers Chhagan Bhujbal, Hasan Mushrif, and former minister Dhananjay Munde.
