Rajya Sabha MP Sunetra Pawar is expected to be sworn in as Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister on Saturday, replacing her late husband Ajit Pawar in the Devendra Fadnavis-led cabinet, according to sources in the Nationalist Congress Party. The move indicates the NCP’s intent to continue in the ruling Mahayuti alliance while putting merger discussions on hold.
Party sources said the decision is likely to be finalised at a meeting scheduled for January 31. If sworn in, Sunetra Pawar will become the first woman to hold the post of Deputy Chief Minister in Maharashtra, a position that was created in 1978 with the advent of coalition politics in the state.
Following Ajit Pawar’s death in an air crash in Baramati on Wednesday, a section of NCP leaders urged the party leadership to offer the post to his wife to ensure stability in both the government and the party. Sources added that Sunetra Pawar has conveyed her consent to accept the responsibility and has informed senior leaders of her decision.
“On Saturday, a parliamentary board meeting of the party will be held in Mumbai, where Sunetra Pawar is likely to be elected leader of the NCP legislature party,” a source said. “She may be sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister by the evening.”
Reacting to the developments, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the Bharatiya Janata Party would support any decision taken by the NCP and the family of the late Ajit Pawar. Speaking in Nagpur, he said the ruling alliance stands firmly with the Pawar family and the party during this period.
Until the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Sunetra Pawar largely remained away from active politics. She contested the Baramati seat in the general elections as the NCP candidate but lost to her sister-in-law and incumbent MP Supriya Sule of the NCP-Sharadchandra Pawar faction. She was later elected to the Rajya Sabha. The Baramati assembly seat has since fallen vacant following Ajit Pawar’s death.
Discussion about this post