From shadow to succession: Sunetra Pawar steps into the centre of power

In a state with a long history of prominent and powerful women in the social arena, women politicians in consequential positions have been conspicuously missing

Pune: On a hazy evening in Mumbai, the political climate appeared charged as Ajit Pawar’s widow, Sunetra Pawar, was sworn in as Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister, catapulting her from the periphery of power to its very centre.

From shadow to succession: Sunetra Pawar steps into the centre of power

In a state that has had a long history of prominent and powerful women in the social arena, women politicians in consequential positions have been conspicuously missing. On Saturday, Sunetra Pawar breached a glass ceiling when she became the deputy chief minister.

But