Sunetra Pawar allocated excise, minorities and sports portfolios; Fadnavis keeps finance

The newly appointed Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar has been allocated the Excise Duty, Sports and Youth Welfare, and Minorities Development & Aukaf departments, after formal approval by Governor Acharya Devvrat. Notably, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis will now hold the portfolios of Planning and Finance, which were previously assigned to the late Ajit Pawar, former Deputy CM of Maharashtra.

“Kindly refer to your letter dated 31st January 2026, recommending the allocation of portfolios of - (1) State Excise Duty, (2) Sports and Youth Welfare & (3) Minorities Development and Aukaf to Smt. Sunetra Ajit Pawar, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra. I hereby convey my approval to your aforesaid proposal,” a letter by the Governor to CM reads.

Earlier on Saturday, Sunetra Pawar took oath as Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, three days after her husband and NCP chief Ajit Pawar died in a tragic plane crash on January 28. Maharashtra Governor Acharya Devvrat facilitated her swearing-in ceremony as Deputy Chief Minister at the Lok Bhavan in Mumbai in the presence of Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde.

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Several senior leaders attended the oath-taking ceremony, including Maharashtra Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, NCP state president Sunil Tatkare, NCP working president Praful Patel, and state minister Chhagan Bhujbal. NCP leaders raised slogans of “Ajit Dada amar rahe” and “Bharat Mata ki Jai” as Sunetra Pawar took the oath of office. Earlier in the day, she was elected leader of the NCP Legislative Party.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his wishes to Sunetra Pawar, saying that ‘She will carry forward Ajit Dada’s vision’.

“Best wishes to Sunetra Pawar Ji as she begins her tenure as Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, the first woman to hold this responsibility. I am confident she will work tirelessly for the welfare of the people of the state and fulfil the vision of the late Ajitdada Pawar,” he wrote in a post on X.

Sunetra Pawar, who is currently serving as a Rajya Sabha MP, was elected by NCP legislators as the leader of the party’s legislature group, making her the party’s nominee for the deputy chief minister post in the Mahayuti government.