Ajit Pawar’s untimely death has left a significant void in the political landscape of Maharashtra. The late Deputy Chief Minister’s wife, Sunetra Pawar, has now stepped into Pawar’s shoes – becoming the first woman Deputy CM of Maharashtra.
Hours before the swearing-in ceremony, Sunetra Pawar was elected as the president of the NCP legislature party at a meeting in the Vidhan Sabha in Mumbai on Saturday, January 31.
Follow the latest updates from Sunetra Pawar’s swearing-in ceremony here
Sunetra Pawar was born into a farming family and grew up in an environment closely connected to public life – she is a passionate environmentalist and has dedicated her time to various fields including education and social education of students, women empowerment and more, according to her website.
1. Born into a family with deep political roots
Born in 1963 in Osmanabad (now Dharashiv), Sunetra Pawar hails from a Maratha family with deep political roots. She grew up in an environment closely connected to public life – her father Bajirao Patil was a prominent local politician, while her brother Padamsinh Bajirao Patil emerged as a powerful political figure in the district in the 1980s.
In 1983, she completed her bachelor’s degree in commerce from SB Arts and Commerce College, Aurangabad.
In December 1985, Sunetra Pawar married Ajit Pawar.
2. Chairman of the textile park, founder of EFOI
– Passionate environmentalist Sunetra Pawar founded the Environmental Forum of India (EFOI) in 2010. It is an NGO dedicated to raising environmental awareness and supporting environmentally conscious communities, according to information on its website.
– Since 2006, Sunetra Pawar has served as the Chairperson of Baramati Hi-tech Textile Park Ltd, a multi-modal garment manufacturing park under the Central Government’s Integrated Textile Parks programme.
– He is also engaged in regularly supervising the activities and pioneering efforts to spread education and social education of more than 25,000 students in Vidya Pratisthan. It was founded by late Ajit Pawar.
– Sunetra Pawar also led self help group movement on Nirmal Gram (Clean Village) campaign in 86 villages across Maharashtra.
3. Political career of Sunetra Pawar
Sunetra Pawar made her debut in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections when the BJP-led NDA-backed NCP and part of the ruling Mahayuti alliance fielded her from the high-profile Baramati constituency.
She was pitted against NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule in what has become one of the most closely watched poll contests.
Sule defeated Sunetra by 1.5 million votes. She won the Baramati seat for the fourth time in a row with a vote share of 51.85%. However, Sunetra was later elected to the Rajya Sabha.
4. Sunetra Pawar Net Worth
Sunetra Pawar disclosed her total income in her income tax return filed for the financial year 2022-23 as ₹4,22,21,010, according to the affidavit she filed ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Some of the shares and debentures held by Sunetra Pawar include Baramati Agro Ltd Equity Shares, Venkeys (India) Limited (formerly known as Western Hatcheries Ltd), Baramati Agro Ltd
5. NCP factions were ready to announce a formal merger
Sunetra Pawar was unanimously elected as the head of the NCP legislature party in Maharashtra on Saturday, three days after the death of her husband and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. Former Dy CM died in plane crash near Baramati.
Sunetra Pawar also stepped into her husband’s shoes at a time when there was talk of a merger of the two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The official announcement was supposed to be made on February 8.
However, earlier in the day, Sharad Pawar said that he had no information about Sunetra Pawar being sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra and had learned about the development from media reports.
