Rajya Sabha member Sunetra Pawar was on Saturday sworn-in as the first woman Deputy CM of Maharashtra, moments after she was unanimously elected as the leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) legislature party in Maharashtra, just three days after the tragic death of her husband and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash.
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She is set to take oath later in the day as Maharashtra’s first woman Deputy Chief Minister, marking a significant political development during a period of mourning and transition.
Sunetra Pawar’s name was proposed by senior NCP leader Dilip Walse Patil and seconded by Food and Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal. The decision was taken at a meeting of the party’s legislature wing held at the office of late Ajit Pawar, located on the ground floor of the Vidhan Bhavan complex in south Mumbai.
Emotional Tribute to Ajit Pawar
During the meeting, Sunetra Pawar paid floral tributes to a portrait of her late husband. Their younger son, Jay, was also present.
Several ministers and legislators were visibly emotional, with many seen teary-eyed as they entered the Vidhan Bhavan complex.
Meanwhile, party insiders have confirmed that Sunetra Pawar’s swearing-in ceremony as Deputy Chief Minister will be held at 5 pm in Mumbai.
Ajit Pawar’s Death
Ajit Pawar, who also held the finance portfolio in the Devendra Fadnavis-led Mahayuti government, was killed in a plane crash near Baramati on January 28, along with four others.
Until the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Sunetra Pawar had largely maintained a low public profile. In the general elections, she contested from Baramati as the candidate of her husband’s party but lost to her sister-in-law and sitting NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule.
She was later elected to the Rajya Sabha, marking her formal entry into parliamentary politics.
Her unanimous election as legislature party leader and imminent elevation to the post of Deputy Chief Minister signal the NCP’s attempt to ensure continuity and stability following Ajit Pawar’s sudden demise, while placing trust in her leadership at a critical moment in Maharashtra’s political landscape.
