Sunetra Pawar sworn in as Maharashtra's first woman Deputy CM

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Sunetra Pawar became the first woman Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra after late Ajit Pawar at Lok Bhavan. Now he is facing major challenges in the unity and coalition politics of NCP.

By Megha Rani 31 January 2026, 7:55:18 PM IST (update)

Sunetra PawarThe wife of late NCP leader Ajit Pawar was sworn in as the first woman Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra on Saturday. The 62-year-old leader, who recently resigned as Rajya Sabha MP, took the oath of office and secrecy at a brief ceremony at the Lok Bhawan officiated by Governor Acharya Devvrat. Earlier in the day, he was elected the NCP legislature party leader.

Ajit Pawar, who served as deputy chief minister and also held the finance portfolio in the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP grand alliance government, died in an air crash Slogans of “Ajit Dada Amar Rahe” were raised as Sunetra Pawar stepped forward to take oath in Baramati on 28 January. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and senior NCP leaders including Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare and Chhagan Bhujbal were present. His younger son Jai Pawar and his wife also attended the ceremony.

Meanwhile, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar Said that he has no information about Sunetra Pawar’s swearing in.He claimed that he came to know about it from media reports. “I have no knowledge about it. His party must have taken the decision… there was no discussion on it with me,” he said in Baramati.

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Sunetra Pawar is not currently a member of either house of the state legislature and is expected to contest the by-election from the Baramati assembly seat represented by her late husband. She contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Baramati for the first time and lost to her sister-in-law and NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule before being elected to the Rajya Sabha.

He now faces the challenge of keeping the NCP united and managing the dynamics of the alliance with the BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, even as speculation continues over a possible merger of the two NCP factions.