After the tragic death of NCP chief and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash, his wife Sunetra Pawar was sworn in today as the state’s first woman Deputy Chief Minister.
Sunetra Pawar becomes Maharashtra’s 1st woman Deputy CM
Mumbai: In a historic development for Maharashtra politics, Sunetra Pawar was sworn in on Friday as the state’s first woman Deputy Chief Minister. Her appointment comes days after the death of NCP chief and former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a tragic plane crash.
Sunetra Pawar, who is also a Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament, took the oath of office at a ceremony held at Lok Bhavan in Mumbai at 5 pm. Governor Acharya Devvrat administered the oath.
The post of Deputy Chief Minister had remained vacant since Ajit Pawar’s death on January 28. With her induction, Sunetra Pawar has created history by becoming the first woman to hold the position in Maharashtra.
Supporters of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) raised slogans such as “Ajit dada amar rahe” (Long live Ajit Dada) and “Vahini saheb aage badho, hum aapke saath hain” (Sister-in-law, move ahead-we are with you) following the swearing-in ceremony.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his congratulations to Sunetra Pawar through a post on X, wishing her success as she assumed office as Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister-the first woman to do so. Expressing confidence in her leadership, the Prime Minister said she would work dedicatedly for the state’s development and carry forward the vision of the late Ajitdada Pawar.
Sunetra Pawar largely stayed out of the political spotlight until the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, when she entered the fray from Baramati as the candidate of her husband’s party.
However, she lost the high-profile contest to her sister-in-law, Supriya Sule, the sitting MP from the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction). Following the defeat, Sunetra Pawar was later elected to the Rajya Sabha.
The daughter of former Maharashtra minister Padamsinh Bajirao Patil, Sunetra Pawar has been actively involved in social initiatives and the cooperative sector, areas in which the Pawar family has considerable influence. Academically, she holds a postgraduate degree in biochemistry.
Prior to the oath-taking ceremony, the NCP formally informed Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of Sunetra Pawar’s election as the party’s legislature leader.
A delegation of senior NCP leaders, including Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare and Chhagan Bhujbal, met the Chief Minister at his official residence, Varsha, in south Mumbai, and submitted the letter. The Chief Minister subsequently forwarded it to Governor Acharya Devvrat.
