Maharashtra: Big changes to cabinet after Sunetra Pawar becomes Deputy CM; who will be new finance minister?

Mumbai: With Sunetra Pawar taking oath as Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister, several significant changes have been made to the state government's cabinet. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has allocated the Excise, Sports, Minority Development, and Waqf departments to Sunetra Pawar. However, she has not been given the Finance and Planning departments, which were held by her late husband, Ajit Pawar.

These departments were all held by the late NCP leader and Sunetra Pawar's husband, Ajit Pawar, who died in a plane crash in Baramati. He also held the state's finance ministry. However, it is being said that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis himself will handle the finance ministry.

When will the Maharashtra budget 2026 be presented?

The state budget is to be presented in the upcoming March session. Sources say that the Chief Minister himself will take charge of this department and will present the annual budget in the assembly. According to information, Ajit Pawar had almost completed the work on the budget and was finalizing it. Now, only the crucial last-minute decisions remain.

Since the budget is to be presented soon, it does not seem appropriate to hand over this department to Sunetra Pawar. She currently lacks administrative experience. It will also take her some time to understand the workings and needs of the government. It is possible that after the budget is presented, the finance ministry will once again be given to an NCP leader. Devendra Fadnavis has also held the post of Finance Minister in 2023.

From which seat will Sunetra Pawar contest?

Sunetra is not a member of either house of the state legislature. She is likely to contest the Baramati assembly seat, which fell vacant after the death of her husband, Ajit Pawar. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Sunetra Pawar and expressed confidence that she would work tirelessly for the welfare of the people and carry forward the dreams of her late husband.

Sunetra, who belongs to a political family and generally stays away from the limelight, began her electoral career in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. She contested against her sister-in-law and current NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) MP Supriya Sule in Baramati, the Pawar family's home constituency. After losing to Sule, she was elected to the Rajya Sabha.