Mumbai: Rajya Sabha member Sunetra Pawar arrived in Mumbai early Saturday, a day ahead of her expected swearing-in as Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister, replacing her late husband and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar, who died in a plane crash earlier this week.
The 62-year-old leader reached Devgiri, Ajit Pawar’s official residence in south Mumbai, in the early hours, accompanied by her son Parth. Later in the day, she is expected to be elected as the leader of the NCP legislature wing at a party meeting in Mumbai, clearing the way for her induction into the state cabinet.
Sunetra Pawar, who is not currently a member of either House of the Maharashtra legislature, is poised to take oath as the state’s first woman Deputy Chief Minister. Senior NCP leader and state minister Chhagan Bhujbal confirmed that the legislature wing meeting would formally name her as the party’s leader.
Speculation has also intensified over a possible merger between the NCP and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) faction following Ajit Pawar’s death. However, sources in NCP (SP) and Sharad Pawar’s family said they were unaware of Sunetra Pawar’s decision to join the BJP-led Mahayuti government. “The NCP (SP) leadership and Sharad Pawar’s family members were completely in the dark about her plans,” a source said.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the ruling Mahayuti alliance would back the decision taken by Ajit Pawar’s family and the NCP regarding the deputy chief minister’s post. “The NCP will take whatever decision it has to take for the post of deputy chief minister, and we will support the decision. We are standing behind the family of Ajit Dada and the NCP,” Fadnavis told reporters in Nagpur.
Sunetra Pawar largely remained away from active politics until the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, when she contested from Baramati on the NCP ticket but lost to her sister-in-law and NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule. She was later elected to the Rajya Sabha.
Her elevation marks a significant political transition for the NCP and Maharashtra politics following the sudden demise of Ajit Pawar.
