MUMBAI: India’s capital story takes centre stage today as Mukesh Ambani and Larry Fink sit down for a rare joint television conversation, bringing together two of the most powerful voices in global business at a moment of economic churn and opportunity.

The Reliance Industries chief and the BlackRock boss will speak with Shereen Bhan, managing editor of CNBC-TV18, in an exclusive interaction airing from 3:00 pm on February 4. The timing is deliberate. Geopolitics are tense, technology is disruptive and capital is choosier. India, meanwhile, is pitching itself as a long-term bet.

The pairing is symbolic. Reliance straddles energy transition, digital infrastructure and consumer growth in the world’s fastest-expanding major economy. BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, oversees more than $14 tn in assets and sits at the nerve centre of global capital flows. When the two talk, markets tend to listen.

Fink’s appearance marks his third India visit, a signal of the country’s rising strategic weight for the Wall Street-listed firm, which carries a market value above $177 bn. His earlier 2023 trips included an October stop in New Delhi, where he met both Ambani and Narendra Modi.

India is now central to BlackRock’s expansion plans, notably through its joint venture with Jio Financial Services. Announced in July 2023, the 50:50 venture, JioBlackRock, commits up to $150 mn each from the partners to build a digital-first asset-management platform aimed at India’s swelling investor class.

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The backdrop is robust. BlackRock ended 2025 with record assets under management of $14.04 tn, helped by $698 bn in net inflows, including $342 bn in the fourth quarter alone. Scale gives Fink both heft and a long lens on where money is moving.

He has been openly bullish on India. At the Saudi-US Investment Summit in Riyadh last year, Fink argued that the “fog of global uncertainty is lifting”, with capital returning to dynamic markets such as India, drawn by reforms, demographics and durable return potential.

Expect the conversation to range beyond balance sheets, into technology’s role in finance, access to capital and the mechanics of sustainable growth in a fracturing world order. For investors and policymakers alike, it is a snapshot of how big money is thinking about India.

At a time when capital is cautious and growth is contested, India wants to be the exception. When Ambani and Fink share a stage, it is less a chat and more a signal. The world’s money is still looking for its next big story, and India intends to be it.

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MUMBAI: Sunetra Pawar, wife of the late Ajit Pawar, will take oath as Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister on Saturday, media reports say, two days after his death in a plane crash.

According to reports, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has summoned a legislature party meeting at 2pm on Saturday, where Sunetra Pawar, a Rajya Sabha member, is expected to be elected as leader. She is then likely to be sworn in as deputy chief minister at around 5pm at Raj Bhavan, as preparations are underway at the governor’s residence.

Ajit Pawar, Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister and a veteran NCP leader, died when a chartered Learjet 45 carrying him and four others crashed near Baramati on 28 January. The aviation regulator confirmed that all on board were killed when the aircraft burst into flames during a second landing attempt.

The sudden loss of one of Maharashtra’s most experienced politicians has prompted swift consultation among NCP leaders. Party figures, including working president Praful Patel, have been involved in talks on succession and organisational continuity. Reports suggest that several senior leaders support Sunetra Pawar’s elevation, viewing it as a unifying choice at a fraught moment.

According to party allies, Sunetra Pawar may also be considered for additional responsibilities within the state government. Some sources indicate that she would oversee portfolios such as excise and sports, while the finance brief could move to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. Observers see this as a pragmatic division of duties intended to balance governance and political stability.

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The transition unfolds against the backdrop of wider speculation over the future of the NCP, including talks about reconciling rival factions that split in recent years. Close aides of Ajit Pawar had been exploring avenues to bring the party’s different strands back together before his death, and that conversation may now gain fresh impetus.

Ajit Pawar’s demise has left a notable vacuum in Maharashtra politics. As a long-serving deputy chief minister, he had overseen key portfolios, including finance and planning, and played a central role in the state’s coalition government. His unexpected death has triggered intense reflection among allies and critics alike on both his legacy and the path ahead.

As Maharashtra prepares for Sunetra Pawar’s swearing-in, the NCP faces its most urgent test in years: turning tragedy into cohesion and navigating a new chapter in state leadership.

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