Ajit Pawar’s widow Sunetra set to replace him, become Maharashtra’s first woman deputy chief minister

MUMBAI: Rajya Sabha MP Sunetra Pawar (62) is set to become Maharashtra's deputy chief minister, filling the shoes of her late husband, Ajit Pawar, who was killed in an air crash on Wednesday. She is expected to be sworn in on Saturday, making her the first woman to occupy the post in the state.

NCP has called a meeting of its legislators at 2pm on Saturday, where Sunetra is expected to be elected as the chief of its legislature party. She is then likely to be sworn in as deputy chief minister by the evening.




Once Sunetra takes on the deputy CM's post, she may have to give up her MP seat and contest the Baramati bypoll, with the seat falling vacant with Ajit Pawar's demise.

"Sunetra Pawar will be the deputy chief minister. There is consensus on this. There will be a meeting of the NCP legislature party and she will be elected to head it," said senior NCP leader and food and civil supplies minister Chhagan Bhujbal.

In the afternoon, Fadnavis was apprised of the name by a delegation of NCP leaders, and reportedly assented to it. However, Fadnavis said, "They met me twice and explained their working method and the options. The final decision will be made by their party, and it is not appropriate for me to comment. We will support the Pawar family and the NCP in whatever they decide."

The delegation that met Fadnavis included senior NCP leaders Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare, Bhujbal, and Dhananjay Munde. "There is no question of anyone opposing the name of Sunetra Pawar. An appropriate decision will be taken by our legislators, taking into consideration the sentiment of the party and the public," said Patel.

There was growing consensus within NCP on Sunetra's name, especially since it was apparent that a family member would have to take the reins of the family-run party.

Sunetra lacks administrative experience and has limited political experience. However, she hails from a political family and is the sister of the late Padamsinh Patil, who served multiple terms as cabinet minister in the state under Congress and Congress-NCP govts. She was also active in campaigning for Ajit Pawar and nursing his constituency, Baramati.

She entered electoral politics only in 2024, when she contested the Baramati assembly seat, losing to Sharad Pawar's daughter, MP Supriya Sule. Sunetra later became a Rajya Sabha MP.

Meanwhile, the question of the merger between Ajit Pawar's NCP and the NCP (SP) led by his uncle, Sharad Pawar, remains in the spotlight. The parties contested the recent several local body polls together under the same symbol, leading to speculation about a reconciliation. Indeed, several prominent leaders from both sides are publicly asking for a merger, saying that Ajit Pawar finalised the details before his demise.

However, some feel there is no urgency on this question since Maharashtra does not face any elections soon. "There is no doubt that leaders on both sides want this. But we do not know what was discussed because these were confidential conversations. We will have to know the position of the family and also the position of the other side's support to the NDA," said senior NCP minister Anil Patil.