Rajya Sabha MP Sunetra Pawar was unanimously elected leader of the NCP legislature party in Maharashtra on Saturday, just three days after the death of her husband and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. She is set to be sworn in later in the day as the state’s first woman Deputy Chief Minister.
Her name was proposed by senior leader Dilip Walse Patil and seconded by Food and Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal at a meeting of the party’s legislature wing held at the office of the late Ajit Pawar 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 Devendra Fadnavis-led Mahayuti government, was killed in a plane crash in Baramati on January 28, along with four others. At the meeting, Sunetra Pawar paid floral tributes to her husband’s portrait, with their younger son Jay also in attendance. Several ministers and legislators were visibly emotional as they arrived at the Vidhan Bhavan complex.
The Lok Bhavan confirmed that Sunetra Pawar’s swearing-in ceremony as Deputy Chief Minister will be held at 5 pm in Mumbai.
Until the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Sunetra Pawar had largely remained out of the public spotlight. That year, she contested from Baramati on the NCP ticket but lost to her sister-in-law, NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule, in a high-profile contest. She was later elected to the Rajya Sabha.ed to the Rajya Sabha.
NCP working president Praful Patel has said that a letter formally conveying Sunetra Pawar’s election as the party’s legislature leader will be submitted to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Patel declined to comment on speculation about a possible merger of the two NCP factions, reiterating that the party’s immediate priority was the election of its legislature party leader and the appointment of a new Deputy Chief Minister.
Ajit Pawar had held key portfolios including finance, planning and excise, and was the guardian minister of Beed and Pune districts. He also had additional charge of sports and youth welfare, minority development and Auqaf (Waqf) departments. The portfolios to be allocated to Sunetra Pawar are yet to be decided.
Senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal said any decision on a merger with the NCP (SP) would be taken by Sunetra Pawar. “Our work today was to appoint a new leader. The leaders will take a call on this issue,” he said. NCP MLA Sangram Jagtap also said the decision on a merger would be taken by the party leadership.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Anand Dubey on Saturday questioned the urgency in filling the Deputy Chief Minister’s post in Maharashtra, saying the haste had raised moral and political concerns in the state.
Speaking to ANI, Dubey said even senior leader Sharad Pawar was not aware of the developments surrounding the decision. “Is what is happening moral? Sharad Pawar is not aware of anything. Maharashtra is not happy with what is happening. What is the reason for this haste?” he asked.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI)
