Ajit Pawar News Live: NCP To Hold CLP Meeting Tomorrow, Sunetra Pawar Likely To Be Elected Leader

A series of political meetings in Mumbai has fuelled speculation of a Maharashtra cabinet reshuffle following the death of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash on Wednesday.

Sources said senior leaders, including Chhagan Bhujbal, Sunil Tatkare and Dhananjay Munde, met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at Varsha Bungalow on Thursday. The discussions were centred on communication related to the portfolios held by Ajit Pawar. A separate meeting was also held earlier between Chief Minister Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and BJP state president Ravindra Chavan at the same venue.

Amid these developments, sources close to the Pawar family said the Nationalist Congress Party is likely to call a meeting of its legislature party on Friday. Sunetra Pawar is expected to be elected as the CLP leader, sources said.

Senior NCP leader Anil Deshmukh said the decision on Ajit Pawar’s political successor would be taken by the family collectively. He added that it was Ajit Pawar’s heartfelt wish that both factions of the NCP should merge at the earliest and that he had already begun working in that direction.

A reshuffle in the Maharashtra cabinet is expected after Ajit Pawar’s death. Sources told CNN-News18 that the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) is likely to stake claim to the portfolios held by him, arguing that these departments were part of the party’s quota in the government.

Sources said the party may submit a letter to Chief Minister Fadnavis seeking that Ajit Pawar’s portfolios be allotted to the NCP. A final stand is expected to be communicated by late evening or Saturday.

At the time of his death, Ajit Pawar held key departments including Finance, Planning and State Excise, and had additional charge of Sports and Youth Welfare and Minority Development. All these portfolios are now vacant.