She succeeds her late husband, Ajit Pawar, who held the position until his tragic passing in the plane crash. Sunetra Pawar assumed office on February 26 following a unanimous decision by party MLAs and senior leaders.
She was sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister on January 31, becoming the first woman to hold the office in the state’s history. Before her swearing-in, she was unanimously elected as the leader of the NCP Legislative Party following the sudden leadership vacuum in the party.
NCP working president Praful Patel made this announcement after the party’s national executive committee meeting in Mumbai.
He also said that Parth Pawar would be nominated to the Rajya Sabha seat, which fell vacant after his mother Sunetra Pawar resigned and became the state deputy CM.
In June 2024, Sunetra Pawar was elected unopposed as a Rajya Sabha member from the NCP following her defeat in the Lok Sabha election prior to that.
After her husband Ajit Pawar’s death on January 28 in Baramati, she resigned as a member of the Upper House of Parliament.
