Ajit Pawar had attempted to bring together the two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) last month as a goodwill gesture to his uncle Sharad Pawar on his birthday, but the effort did not succeed, according to NCP (SP) leader Ankush Kakade.

Speaking while paying tribute to the late Maharashtra deputy chief minister, Kakade said Pawar had personally asked him and other senior leaders to help initiate reconciliation talks between the divided factions of the party.

Efforts to reunite NCP before December 12

Kakade said Ajit Pawar had reached out to leaders including Vitthal Sheth Maniar and Srinivas Patil, citing their close association with Sharad Pawar, and urged them to act as intermediaries.

Recalling the conversation, Kakade said Ajit Pawar had expressed his wish for both factions to come together on December 12, Sharad Pawar’s birthday. Although the plan did not materialise at the time, Pawar had indicated that the process could be revisited after elections.

However, the reunion effort remained incomplete, Kakade noted, adding that Pawar was keen on preserving and strengthening the political legacy built by Sharad Pawar.

Ajit Pawar remembered for handling party legacy

Reflecting on his political journey with Ajit Pawar, Kakade said he would always remember how the leader managed internal challenges while remaining mindful of the senior Pawar’s stature within the party.

Ajit Pawar died on Wednesday along with four others when their aircraft crashed near the tabletop runway at Baramati airport in Pune district. Officials said the aircraft caught fire during a second landing attempt amid poor visibility.

Those who lost their lives in the crash included two pilots, Pawar’s personal security officer and a flight attendant.

Leadership questions emerge after Pawar’s death

Following his death, attention has shifted to the future leadership of the NCP. Party voices are calling for Ajit Pawar’s wife, Sunetra Pawar, currently a Rajya Sabha MP, to take charge as party president and legislative leader.

Sources indicated that if this option faces political or procedural hurdles, senior leader Praful Patel may be considered for the role.

Former Telangana chief minister and BRS president K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) has been summoned for questioning for the first time in connection with the alleged phone-tapping case linked to his tenure in office.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is probing the case, served a notice at KCR’s residence in Hyderabad on Thursday, asking him to appear before investigators on Friday at 3 pm. Considering his age, the SIT has allowed KCR to choose a convenient location within Hyderabad for questioning under Section 160 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

Allegations linked to previous BRS government

The case relates to allegations that during the earlier BRS government, officials of the Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) illegally intercepted phone conversations of politicians, journalists, businessmen and others without obtaining mandatory authorisation.

Following the change of government in Telangana in 2023, an FIR was registered in 2024 after the Congress-led administration under Chief Minister Revanth Reddy assumed office. A Special Investigation Team was subsequently constituted to probe the matter.

Senior police officers named in FIR

The FIR names several former senior police officials and others as accused, including former SIB chief T Prabhakar Rao, DSP D Praneeth Rao, Additional SPs N Bhujanga Rao and M Thirupathanna, former DCP Radha Kishan Rao, and television channel owner Shravan Kumar Rao.

While some of the accused are currently out on bail, others have secured interim protection from arrest as the investigation continues.

BRS leaders questioned earlier

Before summoning KCR, the SIT had questioned multiple senior leaders of the BRS. His nephew and senior leader T Harish Rao appeared before investigators on January 19, followed by BRS Working President and his son KT Rama Rao (KTR), who was questioned for nearly seven hours on January 23. Another nephew, Joginapally Santosh Rao, was questioned on January 28.

Political reactions sharpen

The BRS has accused the Congress government of using the probe as a tool for political vendetta. KTR alleged that the investigation was aimed at diverting public attention from the ruling party’s failure to fulfil election promises. He said KCR, who played a key role in the formation and development of Telangana, was being targeted through what he described as “revenge politics”.

The Congress, however, rejected the allegations and defended the SIT’s action. Party leaders said the investigation was being conducted strictly in accordance with the law and insisted that questioning all concerned individuals was essential to ensure accountability.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday announced an additional financial top-up of up to Rs 2 lakh for selected beneficiaries under the state government’s Mukhya Mantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana, a scheme aimed at promoting self-employment among women.

Under the scheme, one eligible woman from each family currently receives an initial financial aid of Rs 10,000 to begin self-employment activities. The newly announced top-up will be provided only after reviewing the beneficiary’s progress six months after the start of her enterprise.

In a post shared on X in Hindi, the chief minister said the government has initiated the process to extend further financial assistance to women whose initial funds have been utilised properly for employment-related purposes. He added that the additional amount will be released in phases, depending on the performance of the self-employment initiative.

Kumar also noted that if a woman’s enterprise is running successfully, the government may consider releasing the assistance as a lump sum, based on requirements.

Link with government programmes mandatory

To qualify for the additional financial support, the self-employment initiative must be connected with government-backed programmes such as Sudha sales centres or the Didi Ki Rasoi Yojana, the chief minister said.

According to the government, around 1.56 crore women have already received the initial Rs 10,000 assistance directly into their bank accounts through the direct benefit transfer (DBT) mechanism.

The chief minister also recalled that the introduction of prohibition in Bihar had been widely viewed as a move that benefited women across the state.

Political context

The Rs 10,000 assistance was announced ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections held in November 2025. The ruling parties faced criticism from opposition leaders, who alleged that the timing of the payout was intended to influence voters.

Political strategist-turned-leader Prashant Kishor had claimed that the financial assistance distributed shortly before polling was sufficient to sway votes. However, the ruling alliance went on to register a strong performance in the elections, with the JD(U) winning 85 seats, significantly improving its tally compared to the 2015 Assembly polls.