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Days after the death of former Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, his wife Sunetra Pawar took over the charge of Deputy CM of the state.
Maharashtra Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar. (File photo)
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar has been elected national president of NCP, a month after the death of her husband and former Deputy CM of the state, Ajit Pawar.
After being elected as the NCP chief, Sunetra Pawar said, “After the sudden demise of Dada (Ajit Pawar), there was great unhappiness. All of them demanded that someone assume the position of Dada. For all the dreams Dada had for Maharashtra, everyone urged me to respect it I have accepted this responsibility…We will go ahead together.”
#WATCH | Mumbai: On being elected as the national president of NCP, Maharashtra Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar says, “After the sudden demise of Dada (Ajit Pawar), there was great unhappiness. All of them demanded that someone assume the position of Dada. For all the dreams Dada had for… pic.twitter.com/ELArAdihT0— ANI (@ANI) February 26, 2026
Sunetra is also contesting the bye-election from Baramati, a seat that was represented by Ajit Pawar eight times.
The NCP did well in the recent local elections. It won the Pune Zilla Parishad and also improved its position in Kolhapur and several panchayat samitis.
Ajit Pawar served as Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister six times in different coalition governments over the years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to Pawar as a “leader of the people” who was “widely respected as a hardworking personality at the forefront of serving the people of Maharashtra.”
He was long considered the obvious successor to his uncle as party chief. However, their different ways of doing politics created friction, and Pawar often found it difficult to step out of his uncle’s shadow.
In 2019, his first attempt to rebel did not succeed. But in 2023, he played a key role in a major political shift in Maharashtra. He split from the NCP, created his own faction, and joined hands with the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as they came to power in the state.
This decision divided the NCP into two groups. Pawar’s camp kept the party’s name and symbol and brought along several senior leaders and MLAs, weakening his uncle’s influence in the party. After the BJP-led alliance won the 2024 state elections, Pawar was again appointed deputy chief minister.
February 26, 2026, 17:40 IST
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