Sunetra Pawar Becomes Maharashtra’s First Woman Deputy Chief Minister
Mumbai: Rajya Sabha MP Sunetra Pawar was sworn in as Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister on Saturday, days after the death of her husband and senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar in a plane crash. With her induction, the 62-year-old becomes the first woman to hold the post in the state.
Sunetra Pawar, who is currently not a member of either the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly or the Legislative Council, will be required to get elected to one of the two Houses within six months, as mandated by the Constitution.
Earlier in the day, she was unanimously elected leader of the legislative party of the NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar, clearing the way for her appointment to the cabinet in the Mahayuti coalition government, which comprises the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena faction led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Ajit Pawar, a key political figure in Maharashtra, died on Wednesday when a small aircraft crashed near an airstrip in Baramati during its second attempt to land after initiating a go-around. Two pilots, a flight attendant and his security officer were also killed in the accident. The cause of the crash remains unclear, and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), under the civil aviation ministry, is probing the incident.
In 2023, Ajit Pawar had led a group of NCP MLAs into the Mahayuti government, triggering a split within the party. One faction aligned with him, while the other remained with his uncle and NCP founder Sharad Pawar. Despite the division, the two NCP factions had contested the recent municipal elections in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad earlier this month as allies.
Sunetra Pawar entered electoral politics more prominently in 2024 when she contested the Lok Sabha elections from Baramati as the Ajit Pawar-led NCP’s candidate. She was defeated by her sister-in-law Supriya Sule, who represented the rival faction. She later became a Rajya Sabha member in June 2024.
Her elevation to the post of deputy chief minister marks a significant moment in Maharashtra politics, coming amid a period of transition for the NCP following Ajit Pawar’s sudden death.
Follow us on Twitter, Google News, and Instagram and like us on Facebook for the latest updates and exciting stories.
