Parth Pawar, the 35-year-old son of late Ajit Pawar, appears all set to be elected to the Rajya Sabha with the NCP leadership deciding to field him for the biennial elections scheduled for next month, sources said.
He will replace his mother Sunetra Pawar in the Upper House. Sunetra has stepped in as the deputy chief minister in the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra following her husband’s death in a plane crash on January 28.
Sunetra will contest the by-elections to the Baramati Assembly seat, which Ajit represented, NCP leaders said.
Elections to seven Rajya Sabha vacancies in Maharashtra are scheduled to be held on March 16. The ruling Mahayuti, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena (Shinde) and the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction), has the numbers to win six of them.
One of the seven vacancies arose after the completion of the six-year-term of Pawar family patriarch Sharad Pawar, who heads the NCP faction that is part of the Opposition alliance. The Opposition can win one of the seven seats, but it’s still unclear whether the senior Pawar, 84, was ready for re-election.
Party insiders said Parth’s nomination reflected Sunetra’s intent to consolidate control over the party following her husband’s death and position her son as his political successor, limiting the influence of members of the Sharad Pawar camp.
Sources also indicated that the BJP, whose backing is crucial for Parth’s election, was initially hesitant about his candidature but later relented.
“The BJP had reservations as Parth’s name had surfaced in connection with the Mundhwa land-deal controversy. However, they softened their stance after it was confirmed that his name does not figure in the chargesheet,” a senior NCP
leader said.
The Mundhwa land deal pertains to the transfer of a 40-acre state government-owned plot in Pune to Amadea Enterprises LLP, in which Parth is a major partner. The state’s economic offences wing recently filed a chargesheet in the case, but Parth’s name was not included. A high-powered committee set up to probe the transaction is yet to submit its report.
