No idea about Sunetra’s swearing-in as Maharashtra Dy CM: Sharad Pawar
Baramati (PTI): Amid reports that Sunetra Pawar, wife of Ajit Pawar, will be sworn in as the Maharashtra deputy chief minister, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday distanced himself from the development, claiming he had "no idea" about it.
Addressing a press conference in Baramati, Sharad Pawar said that it was his late nephew Ajit Pawar's wish to unite the NCP factions, and that they were optimistic about it.
"We didn't know about the swearing-in. We found out about it through news reports. I have no idea about the swearing-in," he said, when asked if anyone from the Pawar family would be attending the ceremony.
The senior leader said that the NCP may have made the decision, and there had been no discussions with him.
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"I am not aware of the swearing-in. I didn't even know that it was scheduled for today. There was no discussion with me about the swearing-in. Her party (NCP) may have made the decision. The names of Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare came up, and it is learnt that they took the initiative. They might have taken a decision internally within the party," he said.
The NCP (SP) chief said that the ruling faction may have felt that someone should take up the post after Ajit Pawar's death.
Sources from the NCP had on Friday said that Rajya Sabha MP Sunetra Pawar is likely to be sworn in as deputy chief minister on Saturday, replacing her late husband Ajit Pawar in the cabinet.
Following Ajit Pawar's death in the January 28 air crash in Baramati, a section of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders had demanded that she be given the post held by her late husband in the Devendra Fadnavis-led cabinet.
The veteran leader further claimed that Ajit Pawar and NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil had been holding talks for the last four months and were leading the discussions, but the unfortunate crash had stalled the process.
"We cannot bring Ajit back. We have lost him. Now we have to see how to face the situation," he said.
Sharad Pawar said that they had reached a consensus about both factions working together, and the process had already begun.
"The decision on the merger was supposed to be announced on February 12. Ajit had given this date, but unfortunately, the accident took place," he added.
Asked if he was taken into confidence before Sunetra Pawar's name was proposed for the deputy chief minister's post, Pawar said, "What kind of confidence? Their party is different. Our party is different."
The former Union minister also denied any knowledge of the BJP's involvement in the developments.
On theories being floated about the plane crash, Sharad Pawar said that the DGCA had initiated the probe and would examine all aspects.
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Mamdani’s mother filmmaker Mira Nair’s name appears in 2009 mail in Epstein Files
New Delhi: The controversial documents of the late sex racketeer Jeffrey Epstein continue to throw up surprises with their string of names of famous people, the latest name being that of renowned filmmaker and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s mother Mira Nair.
A fresh set of documents related to the ‘Epstein Files’ was reportedly released by the US Department of Justice on Friday and includes an email which was sent by publicist Peggy Siegal to Epstein in 2009. The email is learned to describe the publicist leaving an afterparty organized at the Manhattan townhouse owned by Ghislaine Maxwell following an event tied to Nair’s 2009 film Amelia.
In the email sent early-morning on October 21, 2009, Seigal is said to have written, “Just left Ghislaine’s townhouse after party for film,” adding that former US President Bill Clinton, founder of Amazon Jeff Bezos and Nair were present at the afterparty.
The mail has also reportedly includes comments on Nair’s new film, which is a biographical drama starring Hillary Swank as the aviator Amelia Earhart and Richard Gere as her husband, publisher George Putnam.
The US Justice Department on Friday released over three million pages of documents, including 2,000 videos and 1,80,000 images, on Epstein.
The sex trafficker, who was also a former financier, allegedly committed suicide while in a New York jail in 2019 and awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. Ghislaine Maxwell was later convicted for her role in assisting Epstein’s abuse of underage girls.
