Who will replace Sunetra Pawar in Rajya Sabha? NCP (SP) weighs Chhagan Bhujbal, Jay Pawar and other contenders after Baramati win

NEW DELHI: A day after Maharashtra deputy chief minister and NCP president Sunetra Pawar resigned from the Rajya Sabha following her victory in the Baramati bypoll, speculation intensified over who would replace her in the Upper House.

Senior NCP leader and cabinet minister Chhagan Bhujbal on Thursday said no decision had yet been taken on the party’s nominee for the vacant seat.

“As per rules, after becoming an MLA, one has to resign from the Rajya Sabha. Accordingly, she submitted her resignation yesterday,” Bhujbal told reporters.

However, when asked about her likely successor, Bhujbal said discussions within the party had not yet begun.

“We are learning about it through the media. There has been no discussion yet. At least, I have no such information,” he said when asked about speculation surrounding his possible nomination.

Bhujbal added that it would be inappropriate for him to seek the seat himself.

“Being the senior-most minister in the state cabinet, it would be wrong for me to ask for the Rajya Sabha seat. I will accept any decision taken by the party,” he said.

Apart from Bhujbal, several names are doing the rounds within the party, including Sunetra Pawar’s younger son Jay Pawar, Anand Paranjpe, Avinash Adik and Vikram Kakade.

Former Lok Sabha MP Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil is also lobbying for the seat. A former Shiv Sena leader, Adhalrao Patil joined the NCP during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and unsuccessfully contested against NCP(SP)’s Amol Kolhe from the Shirur constituency.

Some party leaders have also floated the name of Sameer Bhujbal, as the NCP may face difficulty finding a replacement if Chhagan Bhujbal moves to the Rajya Sabha.

After Dhananjay Munde and Manikrao Kokate resigned following separate controversies, the party has limited options for senior ministerial replacements in the state cabinet.

Meanwhile, Jay Pawar said he was unaware of the ongoing discussions as he was in Baramati, while Sunetra Pawar and Rajya Sabha MP Parth Pawar were in Delhi. Sources said the final decision on the nomination is likely to be taken by Sunetra Pawar and her elder son, Parth Pawar.

Jay Pawar on Thursday said it was the “wish of Baramatikars” to see Sunetra Pawar become Maharashtra chief minister after the 2029 assembly elections.

“It was the collective wish of Baramatikars to see Ajit dada become the chief minister of Maharashtra. Since then, vahini has been making a lot of efforts. I think she will contest the Baramati seat in 2029, and it will be our wish that she should aim for the chief minister’s post,” he said after holding a janata darbar in Baramati.

The Rajya Sabha seat carries a remaining tenure of around one-and-a-half years.

Sunetra Pawar resigned from the Upper House on Wednesday, two days after winning the Baramati assembly bypoll by a record margin of more than 2.18 lakh votes. The bypoll was necessitated following the death of her husband and former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash in January.

She had entered the Rajya Sabha in June 2024 after losing the Lok Sabha election from Baramati.

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