Rons Bantwal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Jan 31: Sunetra Pawar (62), wife of late NCP chief and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, was on Saturday sworn in as Maharashtra’s first woman deputy chief minister at a ceremony held in Lok Bhavan, Mumbai.
Maharashtra Governor Acharya Devvrat administered the oath of office to Sunetra Pawar in the presence of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and deputy CM Eknath Shinde.
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly advocate Rahul Narwekar, deputy chairperson of the Legislative Council Dr Neelam Gorhe, deputy speaker of the Legislative Assembly Anna Bansode, members of the council of ministers, people's representatives, chief secretary Rajesh Agrawal, senior administrative and police officials, along with family members of Sunetra Pawar and other invited guests were present.
Sunetra Pawar was unanimously elected leader of the NCP legislature party in Maharashtra on Saturday, just three days after the death of her husband. Her name was proposed by senior leader Dilip Walse Patil and seconded by food and civil supplies minister Chhagan Bhujbal during a meeting of the party’s legislature wing held at Ajit Pawar’s office on the ground floor of the Vidhan Bhavan complex in south Mumbai.
Ajit Pawar, who served as deputy chief minister and finance minister in the Fadnavis-led Mahayuti government, was killed in a plane crash in Baramati on January 28, along with four others. During the meeting, Sunetra Pawar paid floral tributes to her husband’s portrait, with their younger son Jay also present. Several ministers and legislators were seen emotional as they arrived at the Vidhan Bhavan complex.
Until the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Sunetra Pawar had largely remained out of the public spotlight. She contested the high-profile Baramati seat on the NCP ticket but lost to her sister-in-law, NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule. She was later elected to the Rajya Sabha.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his best wishes to Sunetra Pawar.
“Best wishes to Sunetra Pawar Ji as she begins her tenure as Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, the first woman to hold this responsibility,” Modi said in a post on X.
“I am confident she will work tirelessly for the welfare of the people of the state and fulfil the vision of the late Ajitdada Pawar,” he added.