• Source:JND

The untimely death of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a fatal plane crash in Baramati has triggered political uncertainty across the state with Opposition leaders raising questions around the circumstances of the accident.

Ajit Pawar's passing on January 28 left the NCP grappling with a sudden leadership vacuum. In a swift move to restore stability, party leaders on Saturday elected his wife and Rajya Sabha MP Sunetra Pawar as the new leader of the party. Later in the day, Sunetra Pawar took oath as Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister, formally stepping into Ajit Pawar's role in the state government.

ALSO READ: 'Do Not Disparage...': Kiren Rijiju Takes Aim At Rahul Gandhi After Musk's Praise For Indian Economy

Raising doubts around circumstances leading to the Deputy CM’s death, Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut said, "Questions should be raised about Ajit Pawar's accident. These questions are being raised even within his own party. There's something fishy about this. Something must have happened behind the scenes."

"Ajit Pawar was about to return to his old house, but the BJP said they had the irrigation files. Then a mysterious accident occurred. Ajit Pawar made a statement a few days ago that he had some files on BJP leaders, and then accidents immediately followed. I've had my suspicions since day one. It was ingrained in my mind then. This means Ajit Pawar decided to leave the NDA. These people are suspicious. I will raise this issue in Parliament," he further remarked.

Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar has alleged that Ajit Pawar’s sudden death could be part of a larger conspiracy.

"Ajit Dada's sudden death could be a conspiracy. This is a plot, and it should be investigated. A conspiracy was hatched somewhere to prevent the two NCP factions from coming together, and that's why the Deputy Chief Minister's post was filled in such a hurry. Politics has become very dirty. Sunil Tatkare and Praful Patel initiated Ajit Dada's inclusion in the NDA because they wanted to sleep peacefully at night," Wadettiwar said.

ALSO READ: T20 World Cup: BCCI Reacts After Pakistan Boycotts India Clash, Says 'Will Give Our Official Statement...'

NCP Merger Talks 

While Sunetra Pawar's elevation to Ajit Pawar's posts may help resolve the immediate dilemma within the Mahayuti alliance, a larger question still looms: will the two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party merge? NCP patriarch Sharad Pawar on Saturday claimed that Ajit Pawar was willing to unite the two factions of the party. However, a senior leader from the Ajit Pawar faction, Anil Patil, dismissed the merger speculation, saying the "option is currently closed."

Meanwhile, Parth Pawar, the elder son of late Ajit Pawar met Sharad Pawar on Saturday in an attempt to pacify him over the issue of the merger of both factions of the party. Kiran Gujar, a close aide of the late NCP chief Ajit Pawar and a confidant of the Pawar family in Baramati, claimed that Parth called on his grandfather and assured him that the NCP was committed to fulfilling his father's wish about the merger.


Also In News