Maharashtra after Ajit Pawar: Will the two NCPs unite? with P. Sainath

In Focus by The Hindu · Feb 6, 2026 · 42m

On January 28, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) National President Ajit Pawar died in a tragic air crash, leaving behind state politics in flux. Within a week, his wife was hurriedly sworn in as the first woman Deputy Chief Minister of the country’s richest state. There has also been one-upmanship between the two NCPs for control of the party, amid speculation about the ‘invisible hand’ of the BJP, sparking a debate on whether the two NCPs will reunite, and what the future has in store.

In this InFocus episode, we speak with veteran journalist and…