Maharashtra's First Woman Deputy CM: Who Is Sunetra Pawar, The Successor Of Ajit Pawar?

Mumbai: Following the sudden death of NCP chief Ajit Pawar in a plane crash, his wife, Sunetra Pawar, has become the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra during this time of crisis. The post was keft vacant due to the Ajit Pawar plane crash. She was elected the leader of the NCP legislative party on Saturday. ​​Now, after Ajit Pawar's death, she is set to carry on his political legacy.

Who is Sunetra Pawar?

Sunetra Pawar is the sister of senior NCP leader Padamsinh Patil. She hails from Dharashiv district. She spent her childhood in Ter, Dharashiv. According to Sunetra Pawar, her father was a freedom fighter, and therefore she had an inclination towards social service and politics.

How did she marry Ajit Pawar?

Senior NCP leader Padamsinh Patil and Sharad Pawar shared a very close friendship. Because of this, Padamsinh arranged his sister Sunetra's marriage to Sharad Pawar's nephew, Ajit Pawar. Ajit Pawar and Sunetra got married in 1980. After that, she started living in Baramati. Although she was not actively involved in politics, she fully supported Ajit Pawar in his home and business affairs.

How did Sunetra Pawar gain recognition as a social worker?

In 1993, Sharad Pawar became the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. After this, Ajit Pawar and Sunetra Pawar lived with him at the Chief Minister's residence. She started working as a social worker from Katewadi. She spearheaded sanitation campaigns and raised awareness about toilets in rural areas. She implemented the Nirmal Gram Abhiyan (Clean Village Campaign) in at least 86 villages. Besides this, she did a lot of work for women in Baramati. She established a textile park, which provided employment to many women.

Although Sunetra Pawar was not directly involved in politics, she handled a significant amount of party campaigning in Baramati. She toured villages extensively. However, the idea of ​​Sunetra's son, Parth, contesting elections led to internal conflict within the party. Sunetra wanted Parth to contest the elections. Meanwhile, Rohit, the son of Rajendra Pawar, also started his political career. In the last Lok Sabha elections, she contested against her sister-in-law, Supriya Sule, from Baramati. Although she lost the Lok Sabha election, she was elected to the Rajya Sabha in June 2024. Now, Sunetra has become the first woman Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra.