Sunetra Pawar Sworn In as Maharashtra Dy CM Amid NCP Merger Talks and Mourning

Following the death of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash, his wife Sunetra Pawar was sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister amid ongoing discussions about merging the two Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) factions. While merger talks between Ajit Pawar's faction and Sharad Pawar's NCP(SP) were reportedly near completion, they have paused during the mourning period. The Pawar family is also planning a memorial for Ajit Pawar in Baramati. BJP has deferred the merger decision to Sunetra Pawar, and political leaders have expressed mixed views on the timing of her oath and the merger discussions.