Sunetra Pawar Swearing-In: Ajit Pawar’s Widow Elected NCP Legislative Party Leader

Sunetra Pawar was unanimously elected as the NCP legislative party leader at a meeting in Vidhan Bhavan on Saturday. The Rajya Sabha MP will take oath as Maharashtra’s first woman Deputy Chief Minister at 5 pm at Lok Bhavan. The move follows demands by party leaders after Ajit Pawar’s death.

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Shashank Nair Updated: Saturday, January 31, 2026, 03:02 PM IST
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Mumbai: Late Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s widow and Rajya Sabha MP Sunetra Pawar, reached Vidhan Bhavan for the NCP legislative party meeting on Saturday , where she was elected as the party’s legislative leader ahead of the oath ceremony later in the day, when she is set to become Maharashtra’s first woman Deputy Chief Minister.

NCP MLA Dilip Walse Patil proposed Sunetra Pawar name as NCP legislative party leader & it was seconded by NCP minister Chhagan Bhujbal.

When Is Oath Ceremony?

Sunetra Pawar's oath-taking ceremony will take place at 5 pm at Lok Bhavan (previously known as Raj Bhavan). The Governor is expected to arrive in Mumbai at 4 pm, as he is currently out of the city, according to a report by news agency IANS.

After Ajit Pawar's death, a section of NCP leaders had demanded that she be given the post held by her late husband in the Devendra Fadnavis-led cabinet.

Until the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Sunetra Pawar had kept a low profile. In the Lok Sabha polls that year, she stood from Baramati as the candidate of her husband's party, but was defeated by her sister-in-law and incumbent NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule. Sunetra Pawar was subsequently elected to the Rajya Sabha.

Published on: Saturday, January 31, 2026, 02:35 PM IST

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