Sunetra Pawar Takes Oath as the First Women Deputy CM

Three days after her husband deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, died in a plane crash, Rajya Sabha member Sunetra Pawar was unanimously chosen on Saturday to lead the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) legislature party in Maharashtra.

Later in the day, she will take the oath of office as the state’s first female Deputy Chief Minister. It is a momentous political occasion amid a mood of loss and change.

Senior leader Dilip Walse Patil suggested her name, and Minister of Food and Civil Supplies Chhagan Bhujbal seconded it. The party’s legislative branch met at the late Ajit Pawar’s office on the ground floor of the Vidhan Bhavan complex in South Mumbai to make the decision.

Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash near Baramati on January 28, along with 4 others. He held the finance position in the Devendra Fadnavis-led Mahayuti government.

Political career of Sunetra Pawar

According to leaders who are aware of the plot, Sunetra Pawar, 62, has been chosen as the NCP legislature party leader. The meeting was held on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. at Mumbai Vidhan Bhavan. She is anticipated to take the oath of office as Deputy Chief Minister.

According to party officials, the swearing-in ceremony at Lok Bhavan at around 5:00 p.m. is probably going to be a low-key affair. Following an unsuccessful bid in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Sunetra Pawar joined the Rajya Sabha on 18th June 2024.

Updates

• Sunetra Pawar, Rajya Sabha MP and Ajit Pawar’s wife, has emerged as the main candidate for Deputy Chief Minister. Update according to an NCP senior acquaintance with the development. The party is swiftly finalizing new leadership in Maharashtra following Ajit Pawar’s unexpected death in a plane crash.
• The top party sources claimed Sunetra Pawar is anticipated to be sworn in on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. It would make her the first woman to hold the deputy CM office in the state.
• Whether she will also oversee Ajit’s important responsibilities, such as the finance department, is still up in the air.
• In an unexpected turn of events, Sharad Pawar asserted on Saturday morning that Ajit Pawar had been actively pursuing a union of the two NCP groups and had even suggested February 12th as a potential date for reunification