Sunetra Pawar, Rajya Sabha member and widow of late Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar, was unanimously elected as the leader of the NCP legislature party in Maharashtra on Saturday. The decision comes three days after the tragic death of Ajit Pawar in a plane crash in Baramati on January 28, which also claimed four other lives.

The meeting, held at Ajit Pawar’s office in Mumbai, saw senior leaders such as Dilip Walse Patil propose her name, with Food and Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal seconding the motion. Sunetra Pawar paid floral tributes to her late husband’s portrait at the Vidhan Bhavan complex, an emotional moment that brought many ministers and legislators to tears. Her younger son, Jay Pawar, accompanied her during the ceremony.

Later in the day, Sunetra Pawar is scheduled to take oath as Maharashtra’s first woman Deputy Chief Minister. The swearing-in ceremony will be held at 5 pm in Mumbai’s Lok Bhavan, marking a historic moment in the state’s political landscape. Party sources described her unanimous election as a testament to her growing influence within the NCP and the respect she commands among colleagues.

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Sunetra Pawar had maintained a low political profile until the 2024 Lok Sabha elections when she contested from Baramati, the political stronghold of her late husband. Although she lost to her sister-in-law and incumbent MP Supriya Sule in a high-profile family contest, she later secured a seat in the Rajya Sabha, strengthening her political credentials and paving the way for her current leadership role.

With Sunetra Pawar at the helm of the NCP legislature party, analysts predict continuity in Ajit Pawar’s political vision while also noting the symbolic significance of a woman assuming one of the state’s top leadership roles. Her elevation is expected to have both political and emotional resonance in Maharashtra, reinforcing the Pawar family’s enduring legacy in state politics.

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