Mumbai

NCP working president Praful Patel on Saturday said a letter regarding Sunetra Pawar's election as the legislature party leader will be submitted to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Pawar is set to be sworn-in as the Deputy Chief Minister, the first woman to occupy the post in the state, in the evening.

She was unanimously elected as the leader of the NCP's legislature party wing during a meeting held at the Vidhan Bhavan in south Mumbai at 2 pm on Saturday.

Her husband, Ajit Pawar, who was deputy CM and finance minister in the Devendra Fadnavis-led government, was killed in a plane crash in Baramati on January 28 along with four others.

"A letter about Sunetra Pawar's election as the legislature party leader will be handed over to CM Fadnavis," Patel said.

When asked about the buzz around merger of the two NCPs, Patel did not comment.

The NCP has been maintaining that its priority at present is election of its legislature party leader and deputy chief minister after the death of Ajit Pawar.

Besides finance and planning, Ajit Pawar held the excise portfolio. He was also the guardian minister of Beed and Pune districts. He held the additional charge of sports and youth welfare, minority development and Aukaf (Waqf) departments after his party's minister Manikrao Kokate resigned last month.

However, which portfolios will be allotted to Sunetra Pawar remains to be seen.

Senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal indicated that a decision on merger with NCP (SP) will be taken by her.

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"Our work today was to appoint a new leader. The leaders will take a call on this issue," he said.

NCP MLA Sangram Jagtap said decision on merger will be taken by the party leaders.