Maharashtra deputy CM Sunetra Pawar with son Jay Pawar, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar and others during a ceremony to pay tribute to former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar (PTI)
PUNE: As suspense over the merger of the two NCPs continues, family patriarch Sharad Pawar on Wednesday met late nephew Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra Pawar at her residence in Baramati for the first time after she took oath as Maharashtra’s deputy CM.Amid reports of a division in the family, Pawar, Sunetra, her sons Parth and Jay, and other relatives held a closed-door meeting in their hometown late Wednesday, reigniting the reunification buzz. Pawar Senior and his wife Pratibha offered condolences to Ajit Pawar’s family, and together, they all met locals who visited them.The NCP (SP) chief had, a few days ago, made his disappointment clear as he said Sunetra did not consult him about taking up the deputy CM’s post last week. However, he told reporters in Baramati on Wednesday morning he supported her decision. “I am happy that she was given the opportunity.” Despite ill health, he spent the entire day in a series of meetings in Baramati. Among these were a closed-door meeting with Sunetra’s sons and Ajit Pawar’s sister, Vijaya Patil, on Vidya Pratishthan campus. Later in the day, key members of the Pawar family met at Sunetra’s residence. Pawar also chaired a meeting of the trustees of Vidya Pratishthan, of which he is president. Parth and Jay were also called for the meeting, where both were apprised of the functioning of Vidya Pratishthan in which Ajit Pawar was a trustee. There was also a primary discussion on Ajit Pawar’s proposed memorial, sources told TOI .Pawar returned to Baramati from Mumbai on Tuesday after cancelling his Delhi visit to participate in the budget session of Parliament. “Be it Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha or assembly, I was a member of these houses for 58 years. But, for the first time, I could not attend the Budget session due to the tragedy (Ajit Pawar’s death in a plane crash),” Pawar added.
