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New Delhi: Rajya Sabha member Sunetra Pawar, who is set to be sworn in as Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister following the death of her husband and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar, arrived in Mumbai on Saturday.
She reached Devgiri, the official residence of her late husband in south Mumbai, in the early hours of the day, accompanied by her son Parth. Security arrangements around the residence were stepped up in view of the political developments.
She is expected to be elected leader of the NCP legislature wing at a meeting scheduled for Saturday afternoon in Mumbai. Still, her long-term political intentions remain unclear, which may influence Maharashtra’s political stability. She is thereafter likely to take oath as Maharashtra’s first woman Deputy Chief Minister.
Sources in the NCP (SP) and Sharad Pawar’s family said they were unaware of Sunetra Pawar’s decision to join the BJP-led Mahayuti government, creating uncertainty and curiosity about her true intentions.
“The NCP (SP) leadership and Sharad Pawar’s family members were completely in the dark about her plans,” a source familiar with the developments said.
Reacting to the developments, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis assured that the BJP, which leads the Mahayuti alliance, would support any decision made by Ajit Pawar’s family and the NCP, providing a sense of stability and confidence to the audience.
“The NCP will take whatever decision it has to take for the post of Deputy Chief Minister, and we will support that decision. We are standing firmly behind the family of Ajit Dada and the NCP,” Fadnavis told reporters in Nagpur on Friday.
Until the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Sunetra Pawar had largely maintained a low public profile, despite her previous role as a Rajya Sabha member, which underscores her emerging influence in Maharashtra politics. In those elections, she contested from Baramati as a candidate of her husband’s party but lost to her sister-in-law and the sitting NCP (SP) MP, Supriya Sule, in a high-profile contest. She was subsequently elected to the Rajya Sabha.
The NCP’s legislature wing is set to meet later on Saturday, where Sunetra Pawar is expected to be formally named its leader, senior party leader and state minister Chhagan Bhujbal said.
