NCP at Crossroads After Ajit Pawar’s Death

Mumbai:After the untimely demise of party chief Ajit Pawar, an uncertain future lies ahead of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) as the succession issue will immediately take the centre-stage. Speculation is rife about the possible reunification of two factions of the NCP factions, which is expected to make the party leadership issue more interesting.

Ajit Pawar’s immediate family includes his wife and Rajya Sabha MP Sunetra Pawar and his sons, Parth and Jay Pawar.

Sunetra Pawar, a Rajya Sabha member, assumes greater significance in the party. Though she is not involved in day to day organizational activities, she is expected to play a major role in deciding the party's next move. She contested the Lok Sabha elections from Baramati, a Pawar family’s bastion, but lost to cousin sister-in-law Supriya Sule, the daughter of NCP patriarch Sharad Pawar. She was later nominated to the Rajya Sabha by Ajit Pawar.

Ajit’s elder son Parth Pawar unsuccessfully contested the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Maval. Recently his name was connected to a high-profile land deal in Pune’s Mundhwa area, where his business interests were linked to questions over valuation and stamp duty exemptions. Though his name did not appear in the FIR filed over the matter, he found himself under severe political scrutiny in the matter.

Younger son Jay Pawar is less politically visible and has remained largely outside the public spotlight.

There are other senior leaders like state party chief Sunil Tatkare and former union minister Praful Patel, who may be entrusted to take over the reins of the party for a while. However, according to political experts, they lack Ajit Pawar’s charishma and stature to lead the party.

On this backdrop, the talk of the possible reunification of NCP factions is likely to gain momentum. Ajit Pawar had broken away from his uncle Sharad Pawar’s faction of the NCP to align with the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in 2023. The case on party name and symbol is still pending at the Supreme Court.

Senior legal expert Adv Aseem Sarode said that Ajit’s death will have no bearing on the SC case as it is connected to name and symbol and not the leadership. “Furthermore, if both party factions decide to come together, the matter will be closed in the court,” he said.

The NCP reunification talks got the boost after both factions contested the recent Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation elections together. If the reunion happens, the party will get more options in the form of extended Pawar family members Supriya Sule and Rohit Pawar for the succession.

Sule is widely seen as the national face of the party and Sharad Pawar’s political heir. However, Rohit Pawar, an MLA from Karjat-Jamkhed, has steadily risen to prominence in the party in recent years. He is the son of Rajendra Pawar (who is Ajit’s cousin) and the grandnephew of Sharad Pawar. He remained loyal to Sharad Pawar during the 2023 split. For a strong leadership, Rohit is expected to be elevated to a larger organisational role.

Political experts also said that Sharad Pawar, 85, who had earlier hinted at retiring from active politics by the end of 2026, may reconsider that decision to stabilise both the parties and ensure family legacy goes on unabated.