Supriya Sule skips Sunetra Pawar’s oath, visits Ajit Pawar’s mother before Delhi departure | WATCH

Mumbai/Baramati: Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule on Saturday did not attend the oath-taking ceremony of Sunetra Pawar as Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister and instead visited the residence of Ajit Pawar’s mother, Asha Pawar, in Katewadi village in Pune’s Baramati region.

Speaking to reporters after the visit, Sule said she was leaving for Delhi to attend the Budget Session of Parliament. “Since the budget session is tomorrow, I am going to Delhi. I just met with Asha Kaki. I took her permission and asked if I should go to Delhi for the budget session. She said yes, it's the country's budget, and you should go there. I am the NCP's floor leader, so my presence there is necessary,” Sule said, declining to comment on Sunetra Pawar’s elevation, adding only, “Ram Krishna Hari.”

Sunetra Pawar, wife of late Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, was sworn in earlier in the day at Lok Bhavan in Mumbai, becoming the first woman to hold the post in Maharashtra. The ceremony was attended by Governor Acharya Devvrat, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, with NCP leaders raising slogans of “Ajit dada amar rahe.”

NCP MLA Sana Malik described the moment as historic, saying Sunetra Pawar’s leadership would benefit the state, especially in the areas of social welfare and women’s empowerment.

Family ties, political split and stalled reunion talks

Sule and NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar are close family members of Ajit Pawar, but their political paths diverged after the NCP split in July 2023. Sule has consistently said the division stemmed from ideological differences and political ambitions, not personal disputes within the Pawar family.

In recent weeks, there were signs of a possible reunion between the two factions. Ajit Pawar’s close aide Kiran Gujar had said the late leader was keen on a merger, while Sharad Pawar had also expressed optimism about reconciliation.

Ajit Pawar and four others were killed in a plane crash near Baramati airport on January 28.