"For all dreams Dada had for Maharashtra, have accepted responsibility": Sunetra Pawar after being elected NCP Chief

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], February 26 (ANI): Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and newly elected Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sunetra Pawar on Thursday said she has accepted the responsibility in keeping with the wishes of party workers and in honour of Ajit Pawar's vision for Maharashtra.
Sunetra Pawar was elected as the NCP National President today.
"After the sudden demise of Dada (Ajit Pawar), there was great unhappiness. All of them demanded that someone assume the position of Dada. For all the dreams Dada had for Maharashtra, everyone urged me to respect it. I have accepted this responsibility...We will go ahead together..." she told ANI.
The announcement was made in Mumbai, where NCP state president Sunil Tatkare confirmed her unanimous election and expressed confidence in her leadership.
"Sunetra Pawar has been unanimously elected as the national president of NCP. I express heartfelt gratitude to her. We have this trust that the path shown to us by Ajit Dada, secular ideology and to work for people round the clock is the same with which we will continue to work in the time to come," Tatkare said.
In a related development, Tatkare also announced the party's candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.
"On behalf of NCP, we have announced the name of Parth Pawar for the upcoming Rajya Sabha election," he stated.
Earlier, on February 10, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sunetra Pawar took charge as the Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister.
She was allocated the portfolios of State Excise Duty, Sports and Youth Affairs and Minorities Development and Auqaf.
Her appointment comes after Ajit Pawar died on the morning of January 28 when the Learjet 45 aircraft (VT-SSK) carrying him crashed-landed while attempting to land at Baramati airport in Pune district. The aircraft went down near the runway threshold, killing all five people on board. Among the deceased were Pawar, his personal security officer, a flight attendant, and two pilots. He was travelling from Mumbai to Baramati to campaign for the Zilla Panchayat elections.
Sunetra Pawar was also elected as the NCP Legislative Party Leader earlier.
She is known for her work in sustainable development, environmental conservation, and rural empowerment. A Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha, she has emerged as a driving force behind several initiatives that promote inclusive and sustainable progress.
In 2010, she founded the Environmental Forum of India (EFOI), a non-governmental organisation dedicated to raising environmental awareness and fostering eco-conscious communities. She has led extensive grassroots campaigns focusing on biodiversity conservation, protection of endangered species, water resource management, and drought mitigation. (ANI)