Sunetra Pawar gets Excise, Sports ministries; Finance portfolio held by Ajit Pawar goes to CM

SUNETRA Pawar, wife of deceased NCP president Ajit Pawar, was on Saturday sworn in as the first woman Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

The 62-year-old Pawar, who has resigned as Rajya Sabha MP, was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Acharya Devvrat at a brief ceremony at the Lok Bhavan.

Soon after her swearing-in, Sunetra was assigned state excise duty, Sports and Youth Welfare, Minorities Development & Aukaf departments. Late Ajit Pawar held all these ministries, and Finance, before his untimely death in a plane crash on 28 January.

Earlier in the day, she was elected as the state NCP legislature party leader.

Ajit Pawar, who held the Deputy Chief Minister's post as well as the finance portfolio in the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP 'Mahayuti' government, died in an air crash in Baramati on 28 January.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his best wishes to Sunetra Pawar.

"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," the prime minister said in a post on X.

Not a member of either house

Sunetra is not a member of either house of the state legislature and is expected to contest the byelection to the Baramati assembly constituency represented by her late husband.

Sunetra Pawar made her electoral debut in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, facing off against her sister-in-law and incumbent NCP (SP) Member of Parliament Supriya Sule, in Baramati, the home turf of the Pawar family. After losing to Sule, she was elected to the Rajya Sabha.