BJP will support NCP decision on leadership, says CM Fadnavis on Sunetra Pawar's Deputy CM post

In the wake of media reports suggesting that Sunetra Pawar is the leading candidate for the Deputy Chief Minister position, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis affirmed on Friday that the BJP will back any resolution reached by the family and political party of the late Ajit Pawar.

"The NCP will take whatever decision it has to take for the post of deputy chief minister, and the government and BJP will support the decision," he said, speaking to reporters after meeting Union minister Nitin Gadkari in Nagpur.

"I can only tell you that we are standing behind the family of Ajit Dada and NCP," Fadnavis added.

Sunetra Pawar, who currently serves as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha, is anticipated to be sworn in as Deputy CM this Saturday. This transition follows the untimely death of Ajit Pawar in a tragic plane accident on 28 January, according to PTI, citing NCP insiders.

When questioned about a formal proposal from the Nationalist Congress Party, Chief Minister Fadnavis noted that party leadership had engaged in two separate consultations with him regarding their potential path forward.

Addressing the upcoming state budget — a portfolio previously managed by Ajit Pawar as Finance Minister — Fadnavis highlighted that the late leader had already completed significant groundwork and preparation for the fiscal announcement.

"I will personally look into it and complete the processes involved, and eventually we will decide what to do," he added.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Minister and senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal said NCP will elect Sunetra Pawar as the legislative party leader.

Bhujbal said, "It was decided among us that we will give Sunetra Pawar's name as legislative party leader."

"We went to meet the CM. Praful Bhai (Praful Patel), Tatkare (Sunil Tatkare) I, and Munde (Dhananjay Munde). We also met him (Fadnavis) last night. We asked if everything could be done tomorrow, from the swearing-in ceremony to everything else. The Chief Minister said he had no problem with it," Bhujbal said.

"When someone passes away, sometimes people observe a period of mourning for three days, sometimes ten days, and during that time, people don't go out, or something like that, I don't know. Tatkare and Praful Bhai themselves are looking into it. Most likely, the decision will come in an hour or two," he added.

Furthermore, Fadnavis shared details of his discussions with Union Minister Nitin Gadkari regarding the recent Nagpur Municipal Corporation election results. The BJP secured a decisive majority in the polls, and the Chief Minister indicated that the selection for the Mayor’s office would be finalized through a collaborative effort involving local MLAs and party officials.