India, Jan. 29 -- A meeting held in Baramati just hours after the funeral of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has sparked intense speculation over the future leadership of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), following the senior leader's death in a plane crash earlier this week.

Senior NCP leaders Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal and Dhananjay Munde met Ajit Pawar's wife, Sunetra Pawar, on Thursday.

Despite the denials, voices within the party have openly backed Sunetra Pawar's entry into the state cabinet.

NCP State Vice President Suresh Ghule went further, urging senior leaders to consider appointing her as the party's national president and nominating her for the deputy chief minister's post.

Sunetra Pawar is currently a...