Following Ajit Pawar's death, his wife Sunetra Pawar is set to take oath as Maharashtra's deputy chief minister. Her Rajya Sabha seat may go to their elder son Parth Pawar. The Nationalist Congress Party is preparing for this transition.
Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash in Baramati on January 28, 2026, along with four others. His funeral took place on January 29 in Baramati, attended by Amit Shah, Devendra Fadnavis, and JP Nadda.
Following this, Sunetra Pawar has agreed to join the Mahayuti government led by Devendra Fadnavis as deputy chief minister. She is scheduled to take oath at 5 PM on January 30 at Mumbai's Raj Bhavan. As a current Rajya Sabha MP, Sunetra will vacate her seat upon joining the government. Sources indicate the NCP plans to send Ajit's elder son Parth Pawar to Rajya Sabha in her place. Sunetra was elected leader of the NCP legislative party on Friday and will contest the by-election for the Baramati seat.
Chief Minister Fadnavis stated, 'Whatever decision the NCP takes, we will support it. We stand with Ajit dada's family and the NCP.' Prafull Patel may become the party's national president, though some leaders prefer Sunetra to lead. The NCP split in 2023 when Ajit's faction joined the Mahayuti alliance. The party now has 40 MLAs. Ajit handled finance, planning, and other portfolios. This development ends speculation of a merger with the Sharad Pawar faction.
