Sunetra Pawar oath-taking highlights: NCP leader gets three portfolios after taking oath as dy CM

Sunetra Pawar oath-taking LIVE: Sunetra Pawar, wife of late NCP chief Ajit Pawar, takes oath as Maharashtra deputy CM in Mumbai, on Saturday.

Sunetra Pawar oath-taking highlights: Rajya Sabha MP Sunetra Pawar was on Saturday elected by NCP legislators as the leader of the party’s legislature group, making her the party’s nominee for the deputy chief minister post in the Mahayuti government. She was later sworn in at the Lok Bhawan, becoming Maharashtra’s first woman deputy chief minister. Her nomination was proposed by senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal and seconded by other senior leaders, and she was unanimously elected. This comes after Ajit Pawar's sudden demise in a plane crash earlier this week.

However, NCP (SP) leader Sharad Pawar on Saturday claimed that discussions had been underway regarding a reunification of the two NCP factions, scheduled for February 12. On Saturday, late deputy CM's son met NCP (SP) chief at his residence in Baramati.

He also said he was not aware that Sunetra Pawar had taken over the key role, adding that he was not part of the discussion on it.

As party sources said Sunetra Pawar is likely to be chosen as the leader of the NCP legislature party before taking oath later in the day, Ajit’s uncle Sharad said he was not aware of the reported plan to appoint Sunetra Pawar as deputy chief minister.

Sunetra Pawar's life in politics

Sunetra Pawar, 62, was first elected as the NCP legislature party leader at a meeting of the party’s 40 MLAs at the Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai at 2 pm on Saturday. Following this, she took the oath as deputy chief minister.

Sunetra Pawar's swearing-in ceremony was a low-key event at Lok Bhavan around 5 pm, attended by CM Devendra Fadnavis, deputy CM Eknath Shinde and several other leaders.

Sunetra Pawar entered the Rajya Sabha on June 18, 2024, after an unsuccessful bid in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

What's happening in Maharashtra after Ajit Pawar's death | Top points

1. Following Ajit Pawar’s sudden death in a plane crash, the Nationalist Congress Party is moving quickly to finalise new leadership in Maharashtra, with Rajya Sabha MP and Ajit's wife Sunetra Pawar emerging as the top choice for deputy chief minister, said a NCP leader familiar with the development.

2. Sunetra Pawar was sworn in on Saturday at 5 PM, which made her the first woman to hold the deputy CM post in the state.

3. An NCP legislature party meeting of around 40 MLAs was scheduled at Mumbai’s Vidhan Bhavan at 2 PM to formally elect a new leader.

4. Sunetra Pawar, 62, entered the Rajya Sabha in June 2024 after contesting the Lok Sabha elections that year. She is currently not a member of the Maharashtra legislature, which means she will need to either win a bypoll or enter the Legislative Council within the stipulated period. The Baramati assembly seat, earlier represented by Ajit Pawar, is also due for a bypoll within six months.

5. Sunetra Pawar has been allocated three portfolios as the new deputy chief minister. They are state excise, minority affairs, sports and youth welfare. The state finance department will remain with the chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis, for now.

6. In a new twist, Sharad Pawar on Saturday morning claimed that Ajit Pawar had been actively working toward a merger of the two NCP factions and had even proposed February 12 as the tentative date for reunification.