New Delhi, 09 April (H.S.):

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Parth Pawar has taken oath as a member of the Rajya Sabha, India’s Upper House of Parliament. The oath‑taking ceremony took place in the Parliament House on Thursday, with Vice‑President and Rajya Sabha Chairman C. P. Radhakrishnan administering the oath to the 35‑year‑old lawmaker.

The event was attended by senior leaders, including Union Health Minister and NDA floor leader Jagat Prakash Nadda, NCP leader and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, NCP working president Praful Patel, and other party functionaries.

Sunetra Pawar, who is also Parth’s mother, has recently moved into the Maharashtra state cabinet, vacating her own Rajya Sabha seat and paving the way for her son’s induction into the Upper House.

Parth Pawar, son of the late NCP stalwart Ajit Pawar, had earlier contested the 2019 Lok Sabha election from the Maval constituency but was defeated in his first direct electoral contest.

His entry into the Rajya Sabha marks a significant elevation within the party’s leadership echelon and is widely seen as part of the Pawar family’s strategy to consolidate the NCP’s presence in both central and state politics.

Parth’s Rajya Sabha seat became available after his mother, Sunetra Pawar, resigned from the Upper House upon assuming the role of Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, a decision that triggered a broader leadership‑transition narrative within the NCP.

Observers note that Parth Pawar’s swearing‑in deepens the family’s footprint in legislative bodies and reflects a deliberate effort to sustain Ajit Pawar’s political legacy even after his demise in an air accident on 28 January.

With his formal induction into the Rajya Sabha, Parth Pawar now joins the ranks of national lawmakers as he begins his parliamentary career on the NCP‑BJP‑led opposition benches in the House.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar