‘Inhuman’ to talk about Ajit Pawar’s successor right now, says Sanjay Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Friday (January 30, 2026) said it is “inhuman” to talk about the leadership of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) just after the tragic death of its president and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.

On Thursday (January 29, 2026), a day after Pawar died in a plane crash in Baramati in Pune district, voices emerged within the NCP for a State cabinet berth for his wife Sunetra, with some leaders suggesting she should also lead the party, a constituent of the BJP-led ruling Mahayuti alliance.

“It is inhuman to talk on this (leadership) issue. If anyone has raised this issue, then they have zero humanity. Be it Ministers or MLAs. The woman (Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra) has lost her husband. Her (Sunetra Pawar) eyes are still welling,” Mr. Raut said.

Sunetra Pawar, who lost the 2024 Lok Sabha polls from Baramati, is currently a Rajya Sabha MP. Ajit Pawar was the MLA from the Baramati Assembly seat.

Also Read | Ajit Pawar regrets fielding wife Sunetra against ‘sister’ Supriya Sule

Ajit Pawar (66) died on Wednesday (January 28, 2026) in an air crash, leaving behind a big void in his party and pushing the State politics into turmoil. Talks about the possible merger of the NCP and its rival NCP (SP), led by veteran politician Sharad Pawar, have gained momentum after Ajit Pawar’s death.