NCP leaders seek Maharashtra cabinet berth for Ajit Pawar's wife; rival camp favours merger talks
Mumbai (PTI): A day after Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar's death in a plane crash, leaders of his party NCP on Thursday pushed for a state cabinet berth for his wife Sunetra, while Opposition NCP (SP) signalled it wasn't averse to taking forward efforts for merger of rival groups.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders also suggested that Sunetra Pawar should step forward and lead the outfit, which is a constituent of the ruling Mahayuti alliance led by the BJP.
Senior NCP leader and FDA Minister Narhari Zirwal said it is people's wish that late Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra, a Rajya Sabha member, be inducted into the state ministry.
Asked about the NCP's future after the untimely death of Ajit Pawar, who was also the party president, Zirwal told a Marathi news channel that people want "vahini" (sister-in-law, referring to Sunetra Pawar) to be made a cabinet member.
"We will talk to our leadership about it (inducting Sunetra in cabinet) and take a decision,'' Zirwal, who was a close confidant of Ajit Pawar, said after the late politician's funeral in his hometown Baramati in Pune district.
To a question on the merger of the rival groups, ruling ally NCP and Opposition NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar, he noted, ''The two factions are already together (for local body polls). Everyone has realised that there was no point in remaining scattered and we have to be together.''
Another NCP leader and Ajit Pawar confidante, Pramod Hindurao, maintained Sunetra Pawar should carry forward the legacy of her husband and take care of party workers.
Sunetra Pawar, who fought the 2024 Lok Sabha polls on an NCP ticket, had lost to Supriya Sule, NCP (SP) working president and Sharad Pawar's daughter, in Baramati.
Meanwhile, state NCP (SP) president Shashikant Shinde told PTI that Ajit Pawar had himself spoken about sitting together and taking a decision on merger of the two NCPs after municipal and local body polls in Maharashtra.
Preliminary talks had already taken place in regard to merger, Shinde stated.
''When we had met for an alliance of the two parties for Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad corporation elections (which took place on January 15), he (Ajit) had said lets sit together and discuss (merger) after Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti polls (scheduled on February 5)," he said.
"Ajit dada (elder brother) was an emotional man and wanted the two factions to come together and the (Pawar) family to remain united. He had felt enough was enough. If the family and parties want a reconciliation, we have no problem. Now, we have to see if we can fulfil what became his last wish," Shinde said.
Asked if the NCP (SP) was ready to join the ruling Mahayuti alliance led by the BJP, Shinde evaded a direct reply.
"Nothing can be said as of now. Lets see if there is a positive outcome of efforts towards fulfilling Ajit dada's wish (of merger). The issue of whether NCP (SP) leaders would like to be in the ruling alliance can be discussed later,'' he insisted.
Ajit Pawar (66) and four others were killed when the chartered plane carrying them crashed at the Baramati airport in Pune district on Wednesday.
In July 2023, Ajit Pawar had joined the then-Eknath Shinde-led government, triggering a split in the NCP co-founded by his uncle Sharad Pawar.
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Five Delhi schools receive bomb threats; declared hoax after thorough check
New Delhi (PTI): Five schools in the national capital received bomb threats via email on Thursday morning. It was later declared a hoax following sweeping searches by security agencies.
According to the Delhi Fire Services (DFS), a call about the threats was received around 8.30 am, which led to a thorough checking of the premises by multiple security agencies.
The DFS confirmed that Loreto Convent in Delhi Cantonment, Don Bosco in Chittaranjan Park, and Carmel Convent campuses in Anand Niketan and Dwarka have received threats.
On the other hand, Sardar Patel Vidyalaya in Lodhi Estate sent out a message to the parents of its students, informing them about the security threat.
Police and fire authorities were immediately informed, triggering evacuation protocols and anti-sabotage checks. "Following standard operating procedures, nothing suspicious was found," a DFS officer said, adding that the threat had been declared a hoax.
The Sardar Patel Vidyalaya administration informed parents that a security threat had been received in the morning, and authorities were immediately alerted. The school said a bomb squad team conducted a thorough inspection of the entire campus.
"We are relieved to inform you that the premises have been declared completely safe for use. Student safety remains our highest priority, and all necessary protocols were followed promptly and responsibly. Classes will continue as usual today," the message read.
Police sources said local police personnel, bomb disposal squads and dog squads were deployed to sweep the campuses. Students and staff were moved to safe areas in some schools, they added.
Further investigation is underway to trace the origin of the threats, police said.
On Wednesday, the Dwarka court complex received a similar bomb threat, which was declared a hoax.
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