Sunitra Pavar became the first woman Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra

Supriya Sule's mother-in-law, Sunetra Pawar, took oath as Maharashtra's first woman Deputy Chief Minister on Saturday, a milestone in the state's political history. The swearing-in comes after the death of her husband, Nationalist Congress Party leader and former Deputy Chief Minister, Ajit Pawar. At a brief ceremony held at Raj Bhavan, Mumbai, the Governor administered the oath of office and secrecy to her.

Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash near Baramati on January 28, 2026. After his sudden demise, the Nationalist Congress Party unanimously elected Sunetra Pawar as the leader of the legislative group. The proposal for her selection was made by Dilip Walse-Patil, which was seconded by Chhagan Bhujbal, paving the way for her inclusion in the state cabinet.

The swearing-in ceremony was attended by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and several senior leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Nationalist Congress Party. After the ceremony, NCP leaders raised slogans in memory of Ajit Pawar, creating an emotional atmosphere.

Sunetra Pawar is currently a member of the Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra and is known as "Sunetra Vahini" and "Didi" across the state. She has two sons, Parth Pawar and Jay Pawar. Her swearing-in is seen as a symbol of continuity of leadership amidst the ongoing political maneuverings within the NCP following Ajit Pawar's death.

Sunetra Pawar was born on October 18, 1963, in Osmanabad district, Maharashtra. Her father, Baji Rao Patil, was a local leader, while her brother, Padma Singh Baji Rao Patil, has been a minister and member of parliament. She completed her Bachelor of Commerce degree from SBES College of Arts and Commerce, Aurangabad, in 1983.

She married Ajit Pawar on December 30, 1985, and currently resides at the Pawar Farm House in the Kate Wadi area of Baramati. In recent years, she has stepped into electoral politics and contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Baramati on a Bharatiya Janata Party ticket as part of the Maha Yuti alliance, but lost to Supriya Sule of the NCP (Sharad Chandrapawar faction). Later, in 2024, she was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from the NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar, following the resignation of Parful Patel.

Apart from politics, Sunetra Pawar has been active in social and professional activities. She founded the Environmental Forum of India in 2010, which works for organic farming and environmental protection. She has been awarded the Green Warrior Award, Jeevan Guru Award (2023), and Rashtramata Jijau Award (2024). She has been the chairperson of Baramati Hi-Tech Textile Park Limited since 2006, a trustee of Vidyapratishthan, and a member of the senate of Savitribai Phule Pune University since 2017.

Her becoming the Deputy Chief Minister is seen as an attempt to maintain the continuity of leadership and preserve the political legacy of the Pawar family in the NCP, which is currently going through a transitional phase following Ajit Pawar's death.