Who takes charge of NCP now

WITHTHE NATIONALIST Congress Party (NCP) built around Ajit Pawar’s personal authority and control over legislators, his sudden death leaves the party without a clear leader.

- ZEESHAN SHAIKH, ALOK DESHPANDE & DEEPTIMAN TIWARY

The party, which depended heavily on his grip over MLAs and its organisation in Maharashtra, now faces uncertainty over who will take charge. This comes at a time when talks had begun on bringing together the tworival NCP factions led by the Deputy CM and his uncle, Sharad Pawar.

In the weeks before his death, there were signs of a possible reunion. The two parties had joined hands for the municipal corporation elections in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, cities once seen as Pawar strongholds, shared the stage; and there was discussion of working together despite the disappointing results. The Deputy CM’s death has now placed both the question of succession and the future of a merger at the centre of the party’s politics. In the NCP, three broad power centres are likely to shape the succession battle: members of the Pawar family, longtime associates who moved with him during the split, and regional leaders with their own support bases.

The family

Sunetra Pawar

Ajit Pawar’s wife is seen as the most direct dynastic option. For years, she stayed away from active politics and worked mainly through women’s groups and welfare programmes in Baramati.