Mumbai: Reacting to late Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra Pawar taking oath as Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister, becoming the state’s first woman DyCM, NCP leader and MLC Amol Mitkari said that the move was to "prevent the party from disintegrating and to avoid a split."
Speaking to news agency ANI, he said, "The party workers have not yet recovered from the shock of Ajit Dada’s passing, but to prevent the party from disintegrating and to avoid a split, Sunetra Vahini should lead. Maharashtra has got its first woman Deputy Chief Minister. Sunetra Vahini respected the sentiments of all of us party workers and today she took the oath of office,’ he said.”
Sunetra has been given charge of excise duty, sports and youth welfare, and minorities development. Finance and planning, the portfolios handled by her husband, will be handled by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Sunetra Pawar's First Reaction After Oath
In her first reaction after taking oath as Deputy CM, she wrote in Marathi, "Respected Ajitdada has given the mantra of living one's entire life for farmers, labourers, women, youth, and deprived sections. Today, carrying forward the legacy of his thoughts with unwavering loyalty to the principles of ‘Shiv-Shahu-Phule-Ambedkar’, my heart is truly overflowing as I accept the responsibility of the Deputy Chief Minister post with a sense of duty."
In the emotional post, she said that though his untimely passing has caused a mountain of sorrow to crash upon her heart, she added, "the true support I have is the duty-bound commitment, the strength to struggle, and the bond with the people that he taught me."
