Ajit Pawar’s death: NCP leaders meet CM Fadnavis amid uncertainty over party’s future
Mumbai (PTI): Senior NCP leaders on Friday met Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis here, amid uncertainty over the party’s future following the death of Deputy CM Ajit Pawar in a plane crash.
The meeting at the CM’s official residence Varsha in south Mumbai, which lasted nearly one and a half hours, was attended by senior NCP leaders, including Chhagan Bhujbal, national working president Praful Patel, state president Sunil Tatkare and former minister Dhananjay Munde, sources said.
According to the sources in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the leaders met Fadnavis to deliberate on the political situation in the state and the way forward for the party after Pawar’s sudden demise.
However, it was not immediately clear what transpired during the discussions, and there was no official statement from either side after the meeting.
The NCP, which Pawar headed, the BJP and Shiv Sena are the constituents of the ruling Mahayuti alliance in the state.
NCP minister Narhari Zirwal on Thursday had publicly expressed his wish that Ajit Pawar’s wife and Rajya Sabha member Sunetra Pawar be appointed as the deputy chief minister. There has been no official comment from the CM's Office in this regard so far.
According to a close associate of Pawar, he was keen on the merger of the two factions of the NCP and that it was about to happen soon.
Ajit Pawar and four others were killed when the chartered plane carrying them crashed in Baramati in Pune district on Wednesday. The 66-year-old NCP chief, popularly known as 'Dada' (elder brother), was cremated with full state honours in Baramati on Thursday.
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Health Department launches leprosy awareness campaign in Dakshina Kannada, district reports 47 cases
Mangaluru: The Health Department launched on Friday the Sparsh Leprosy Awareness Campaign, to promote early detection and treatment to the disease and also to educate people in the district about leprosy.
The campaign, which is a nationwide initiative, will continue till February 13.
According to a report by Deccan Herald, District Health Officer Dr. HR Thimmaiah has said that 47 cases of leprosy were reported in Dakshina Kannada till December in 2025-26.
He has stressed on the need for early detection and treatment of the disease as it would prevent complications prior to detection. He also stressed on creating awareness, increasing community participation in cases of early detection. “People should not neglect white or brown patches without sensation on their skin,” the DHO advised.
Dr. Thimmaiah added that people diagnosed positive would be treated with free Leprosy Multidrug Therapy (MDT). “The government also provides Disability Prevention and Medical Rehabilitation (DPMR), splints, self-care kits, multicellular rubber footwear, and reconstructive surgery to patients. People can log on to sanjeevani.opd or esanjeevani.in for free teleconsultation if they come across any symptoms of the disease,” he added.
Referring to social stigma attached to leprosy, the DHO called it a challenge and said that the Department had planned awareness programmes in rural areas in collaboration with gram panchayats to ensure that there is no discrimination of patients. “ASHA workers and staff from other departments will be trained to create awareness among the people to overcome social stigma. A door-to-door campaign will be conducted. In addition, officials will visit educational institutions to create awareness among students,” he said.
Speaking about the leprosy cases in Dakshina Kannada, Dr. Thimmaiah said that the 47 cases were reported between April and December, with 42 being diagnosed as multibacillary (MB) leprosy and five as paucibacillary leprosy. One child too has been detected with leprosy during the year, he added.
He said that the district reported 29 cases in 2020-21, 39 in 2021-22, 75 in 2022-23, 62 in 2023-24, and 43 in 2024-25. The number of cases was higher in 2022-23 as patients were not able to visit hospitals during the Covid-19 pandemic in the previous years, the DHO informed.
