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Ajit Pawar’s wife and Rajya Sabha MP, Sunetra Pawar, is set to take over the reins of the party after his passing as she ticks the boxes of seniority, parity (with the rest of the Pawars), continuity and stability that the party wants bold and underlined.While the names of Ajit’s sons Jay and Parth are also doing the rounds, what weighs things far more in Sunetra’s favour is the feeling that there needs to be continuity, which the 62-year-old widow of the Maratha strongman will provide more than anyone else as she is the spouse, plus the fact that seniority considerations have to be kept in mind to some extent while picking a successor.Ajit had a team of senior politicians around him in his NCP. Praful Patel, Dilip Walse Patil, Chhagan Bhujbal, Hasan Mushrif, Sunil Tatkare, Dhananjay Munde are all politicians with experience in politics, legislature and administration. The party would accept the sons without hesitation as Parth and Jay are carriers of Ajit’s name and legacy. But Sunetra’s name would not require a negotiation with even the most experienced of the lot.The transition would be smooth and unquestioned, and acceptance of responsibilities would be genuine under her leadership among both seniors and juniors in NCP. Crucially, it is expected to stymie attempts to wean away a section of the outfit or some of its 40-odd MLAs either owing to injured egos or groupism or simply the promise of greater benefits and stability in other political camps. Sunetra’s loss to Supriya Sule in 2024 Lok Sabha elections had rankled with Ajit, and placing her in the top position now would be one way of making amends, of assuaging sentiments of those in NCP who have a sense of hurt about that defeat, and of also making a political statement in the process.Sunetra’s parity with the other seniors in the Pawar household would be another key factor. She would be able to speak to the leadership of the other faction of NCP as an equal and make acceptable decisions, including those about a merger. If, say, she decides to assert the identity and independence of the Ajit-led NCP, all forces within the party would instantly rally around her.Jay and Parth would also be able to negotiate or talk to the other faction, but Sunetra at the helm would be enough to scotch the rank and file’s fears of a hasty decision taken by an impressionable person or one weighed down by thoughts of deference to elders, which is natural in a household as famously close-knit as those of the Pawars.Sunetra is the sister of former state minister and education baron Padamsinh Patil. Apart from her experience in Rajya Sabha, she has seen political activity up close all her life. She has also been engaged in social work for nearly two decades. She founded Environmental Forum of India in 2010, which works on promoting adoption of eco-friendly practices by villages and creation of eco-conscious communities.She’s been a trustee of educational institution, Vidya Pratisthan in Baramati, on whose grounds Ajit’s mortal remains were kept for people to pay their respects and where his last rites were carried out. The party believes that this experience in the social sector also makes her the ideal pick to lead it.
