Overview
- Sunetra Pawar was unanimously elected NCP legislative party leader and took oath in a low-key ceremony administered by Governor Acharya Devvrat.
- With Ajit Pawar’s passing, the finance portfolio rests with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for now, and he is expected to present the state budget when the session opens on February 23.
- Currently a Rajya Sabha MP, Sunetra Pawar must secure a seat in the Maharashtra legislature within six months to continue in office.
- Sharad Pawar said Ajit Pawar had pushed for a merger of the two NCP factions with a target date of February 12, but leaders now say those talks are on hold and their future is uncertain.
- The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is probing the Baramati crash that killed Ajit Pawar and four others, and the cause has not yet been determined.