Sunetra Pawar, 62, was sworn in as Maharashtra deputy chief minister on Saturday, filling the vacancy left by her husband and Nationalist Congress Party chief Ajit Pawar who died in a plane crash on Wednesday. ADVERTISEMENTFamily patriarch Sharad Pawar, who heads the NCP(SP) and is part of the Opposition bloc, said he had not been consulted about the swearing-in and learnt about it from media reports. Sunetra Pawar signs documents after taking the oath as deputy chief minister on Saturday. Sunetra’s elevation came a day after a group of NCP leaders, led by Rajya Sabha member and industrialist Praful Patel, met chief minister Fadnavis. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Sunetra on X, hailing her as Maharashtra’s first woman deputy chief minister, sidestepping his frequent criticism of political dynasties.

Source: The Telegraph February 01, 2026 01:51 UTC