Sharad Pawar Claims Ignorance: Learned of Sunetra's Deputy CM Oath From News
Sharad Pawar says he learnt of Sunetra Pawar's swearing-in as Deputy CM through the media and credits Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday expressed surprise over reports that Sunetra Pawar, wife of the late Ajit Pawar, would be sworn in as Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister. Speaking at a press conference in Baramati, the Veteran Leader said he first learned of the swearing-in through media coverage.
“We don’t know about the swearing-in. We got to know about it through the news. I have no idea about the swearing-in,” Pawar said when asked whether any family member would attend the ceremony.
He indicated that the decision likely came from within the party ranks. “Some people like Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare took the initiative. These people might have decided something,” he added.
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Sharad Pawar also reflected on his late nephew Ajit Pawar’s vision of uniting the NCP factions. “Ajit Pawar, Shashikant Shinde, and Jayant Patil had initiated the talks about merging the two factions. Even the merger date had been fixed—it was scheduled on the 12th of February. Unfortunately, Ajit left us before that,” he said.
Following the tragic death of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in the January 28 Baramati air crash, several NCP leaders had suggested that Sunetra Pawar be appointed to her late husband’s cabinet post. Sources confirmed on Friday that the Rajya Sabha MP was likely to take oath as the state’s first woman Deputy Chief Minister on Saturday.
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