&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Sunetra Pawar sworn in as Maharashtra Deputy CM, becomes first woman to hold the post")
Sunetra Pawar takes oath as Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra on Saturday (Jan 31), 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.
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.
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She stepped in to fill the post that fell vacant following Ajit Pawar’s death in a plane crash in Baramati on January 28, becoming Maharashtra’s first woman Deputy Chief Minister.
Her nomination was proposed by senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal and seconded by other senior leaders, and she was unanimously elected.
The Mahayuti government is a dominant coalition in Maharashtra led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP. This triple-engine administration is a power-sharing alliance between the BJP, the Shiv Sena led by Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, and the NCP, now represented by Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar.
Following a landslide victory in 2024 and success in the January 2026 municipal polls, the alliance commands a powerful 237-seat majority in the 288-member Legislative Assembly. Sunetra Pawar’s recent appointment, following the tragic demise of Ajit Pawar, ensures the coalition remains stable.
