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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Bhujbal’s chopper lands in Pune parking lot

Mumbai : In what is suspected to be a breach of aviation protocols, a chartered helicopter ferrying Food & Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal from Mumbai to Pune skipped a designated helipad and landed in a vehicle parking lot almost a km away.   The shocker happened in Purandar taluka, where Bhujbal was slated to attend a function marking the 200 th  birth anniversary of the social reformer Mahatma Jyotirao Phule in his home village Khanwadi.   As crowds of bewildered people watched...

Bhujbal’s chopper lands in Pune parking lot

Mumbai : In what is suspected to be a breach of aviation protocols, a chartered helicopter ferrying Food & Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal from Mumbai to Pune skipped a designated helipad and landed in a vehicle parking lot almost a km away.   The shocker happened in Purandar taluka, where Bhujbal was slated to attend a function marking the 200 th  birth anniversary of the social reformer Mahatma Jyotirao Phule in his home village Khanwadi.   As crowds of bewildered people watched from around the sprawling parking lot, the helicopter appeared to drop speed in its flight, flew over some overhead high-tension electric cables, and descended gingerly into the parking lot - raising a thick dust-storm in which it disappeared for seconds - before touching the ground.   Moments later, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) senior leader Bhujbal and others stepped out of the chopper, looked around in the unfamiliar territory before several vehicles and police teams rushed there. Minutes before there was chaos and confusion with some locals shouting warnings at the ‘wrong landing’.   Eyewitnesses said that the chopper’s powerful rotors created a thick dust storm and sparked alarm among the people in the vicinity, and many scrambled to the spot to check what exactly was going on in the parking lot.   Later, the Pune Police said that a designated helipad was available for the chopper landing but were at a loss to explain how the pilot missed it and veered off quite a distance away in the vehicle parking space. Subsequently, they asked the pilot to fly it to the correct landing spot.   Shaken and angry local NCP leaders questioned how a pilot flying a VIP on an official trip could mistake a parking lot for a helipad when the weather and visibility was clear. They demanded to know whether the helipad was improperly marked or it was a question of communication or sheer negligence.   The Pune Police indicated that they would report the matter to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) which may take action against the errant pilot and the helicopter company.   “There was no accident. We all emerged safely. The helicopter pilot landed wrongly in a parking lot because the helipad was not visible. All of us are fine and there is nothing to worry,” said Bhujbal, before he was whisked off by his security team.   “There are many faults in numerous airplanes and helicopters, including maintenance issues and other problems. That's why I keep saying consistently that VIPs must exercise caution while flying. Fortunately, an accident was averted today, but that doesn't mean the authorities should be negligent. We expect the government to take urgent precautions.” Rohit R. Pawar, MLA, NCP (SP)

NCP’s internal dispute hits a stalemate

Mumbai: The internal rift in the NCP has reached a deadlock that even the intervention of senior family members has struggled to resolve. Recently, a marathon meeting took place at the Devagiri residence where veterans Patel and Tatkare reportedly expressed their dissatisfaction over being kept in the dark regarding the ECI letter. While they attempted to clarify their positions, sources indicate that neither Sunetra Pawar nor her son, Rajya Sabha MP Parth Pawar, was convinced by their explanations.


Although Parth Pawar recently took to social media to label reports of a rift as “baseless fiction,” his very need to intervene highlights the gravity of the situation. His public defense of the veterans is being viewed as a strategic attempt to maintain a facade of unity while the internal restructuring continues behind closed doors.


The conflict has now transcended the borders of Maharashtra. Sunetra Pawar’s recent solo visit to New Delhi to meet with high-ranking BJP leadership underscores her search for external validation and strategic support. By meeting BJP heavyweights without any senior party veterans by her side, she has signaled to both her allies and her rivals that she is the only credible point of contact for the NCP’s future. This move has further isolated the old guard, leaving them to wonder about their future in a party that is rapidly evolving into a more streamlined, family-led entity.


As the NCP navigates this legal and political stalemate, the political landscape of Maharashtra remains on edge. The party is moving away from the decentralized power structure established by Ajit Pawar toward a model where the Pawar name remains the ultimate source of authority. Sunetra Pawar has demonstrated that she is not just a placeholder but a formidable leader ready to defend her faction’s independent identity at any cost. Whether this bold consolidation will lead to a more disciplined party or spark a deeper revolt among the sidelined veterans is a question that will determine the NCP’s fate in the upcoming assembly elections. For now, the “outsider” has undeniably become the ultimate insider, reshaping the party in her own image.


Sunetra Pawar to file nomination for Baramati assembly bypoll on April 6
Sunetra Pawar will file her nomination on April 6 for the upcoming byelection to the Baramati assembly constituency in Pune district, party sources said on Friday.

The bypoll, to be held on April 23, was necessitated due to the death of Sunetra Pawar’s husband and deputy CM Ajit Pawar in a plane crash this year.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde are expected to be present when she files her nomination papers, the party sources said.

The nomination filing will be done after a public meeting in Baramati, they said.

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