Mumbai/Patna: Prashant Kishor, founder of the Jan Suraaj Party, met Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar at her South Mumbai residence on Thursday, triggering political speculation across Bihar and Maharashtra.
The meeting comes just days after Kishor’s victory in the Bankipur Assembly by-election in Bihar, where he defeated the BJP in one of its long-held strongholds to become an MLA for the first time.
Meeting At Deputy CM’s Residence
The meeting took place at ‘Devgiri’, Sunetra Pawar’s official residence in south Mumbai. Her son, Parth Pawar, was also present.
NCP leader Sanjay Khodke confirmed that the meeting took place but declined to disclose what was discussed.
The interaction quickly became the subject of political debate, with observers speculating about its significance, although neither side has issued any official statement on the purpose of the meeting.
Second Meeting This Year
This is the second meeting between Kishor and Sunetra Pawar this year.
Kishor had earlier met her after the death of her husband, Ajit Pawar, in a plane crash in January 2026.
Parth Pawar described Kishor as a family acquaintance and said the Jan Suraaj leader shares cordial relations with the Pawar family.
Sunetra Pawar currently serves as the National President of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and became Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister after Ajit Pawar’s death.
Bankipur Win Raises Kishor’s National Profile
Kishor’s meeting with the Maharashtra leader comes at a time when his political profile has risen sharply following his victory in the Bankipur Assembly by-election.
The constituency had been regarded as a BJP bastion for decades. The seat was vacated after Nitin Navin resigned following his election to the Rajya Sabha. Before him, the constituency had been represented by his father, Navin Kishore Prasad Sinha.
In the by-election, Kishor defeated BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha by a margin of more than 19,000 votes, securing the first legislative victory for both himself and the Jan Suraaj Party.
