NEW DELHI: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) will hold a meeting of its legislature party on January 31 to name Sunetra Pawar, wife of late deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, as its leader, senior party leader and Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal said on Friday.Speaking to reporters at the NCP office, Bhujbal said chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has conveyed that he has no objection to Sunetra Pawar taking oath as deputy chief minister as early as Saturday, provided the legislature party formally takes a decision. Ajit Pawar was killed in a plane crash in Baramati on Wednesday, leaving the deputy chief minister’s post vacant.“The legislature party meeting of the NCP will be convened on Saturday, where Sunetra Pawar will be named as its leader. Many leaders want her to become the deputy CM,” Bhujbal said. He added that the immediate priority was to fill the vacant post of legislature party leader and subsequently the post of deputy chief minister.Bhujbal said senior leaders Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare were examining procedural aspects, including the mourning period. “(Senior NCP leaders) Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare are looking into the technicalities of the mourning period and other finer details…Sometimes, there is a three-day mourning period and sometimes ten days,” he said, adding that the final decision would be taken at the legislature party meeting.Earlier, Bhujbal said NCP leaders had met Chief Minister Fadnavis to discuss the matter. “We met the Chief Minister… We also met him last night. We asked whether everything, including the swearing-in ceremony and other formalities, could be done tomorrow. The chief minister said he had no objection. As you know, when a person passes away, sometimes mourning lasts for three days, sometimes for ten days, during which people do not step out. I am not fully aware of all such customs, but these matters are being considered. (Sunil) Tatkare and Praful Patel are also giving their inputs. In any case, a decision will be taken within the next two to three hours.”Sunetra Pawar is currently a Rajya Sabha MP and not a member of either House of the Maharashtra legislature. The Baramati assembly seat in Pune district has fallen vacant following Ajit Pawar’s death. NCP leaders also met the chief minister on Friday to stake claim to the portfolios held by Ajit Pawar.
