Mumbai, Feb. 27 -- Deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar was unanimously elected national president of the NCP at the party's national convention held in Mumbai on Thursday. The 62-year-old took over the reins following the death of her husband, Ajit Pawar, in a plane crash in Baramati on January 28. Sunetra Pawar becomes the third national president of the NCP, after party founder Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar. Her elevation comes amid renewed calls from the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) for a merger of the party's two factions. However, top party leaders used the national convention as a platform to make it absolutely clear that they are not interested in any such merger, and even criticised the NCP (SP) leadership in their speeches. With her elevation as NCP chief, Sunetra has completed the process for taking control of the party. She was earlier elected head of the NCP's legislative unit and last month took oath as deputy chief minister in place of her late husband. Her name was proposed for the post by NCP working president Praful Patel at the convention held at the NSCI Dome in Worli. Delegates from across the country endorsed the proposal by raising their hands. "I announce Sunetra Ajit Pawar as the new NCP president," Patel declared. The proposal was seconded by Maharashtra NCP president Sunil Tatkare. An emotional Sunetra said she would work to fulfil the unfinished dreams of her late husband for the development of Maharashtra. "Ajit dada's sudden departure has created a vacuum that cannot be filled, but the faith in me reposed by you is my biggest strength, and I will work with all the loyalty to strengthen the party," the deputy chief minister said. NCP insiders said that although Sunetra Pawar now has complete control of the party, she faces several challenges. "She will have to prove her leadership, which is not easy considering the style of working of Ajit Pawar, who used to never hesitate to go out of the way to support the workers and leaders and hence was extremely popular among MLAs even when the party was led by Sharad Pawar," said a senior NCP functionary. During the national convention, the party also re-elected Praful Patel as national working president and Sunil Tatkare as Maharashtra president. In his speech, Patel dismissed calls from NCP (SP) leaders for a merger as politics. "Those who have nothing to do with us were suggesting what we should be doing next [following Ajit Pawar's death]. They are ones who have one thing in their heart and something else on their tongue," Patel said....