Sunetra Pawar is set to become Maharashtra's new Deputy Chief Minister. The wife of former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar will take oath on Jan. 31, 2026 at 5 p.m., sources told NDTV. Ajit Pawar was killed in a plane crash on Jan. 28 in Baramati.
Sunetra had challenged Ajit's cousin Supriya Sule, who was the sitting MP from Baramati, during the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. She was unsuccessful in her bid back then.
Once she takes oath as the deputy chief minister, she will be required to get elected to either of the two wings of Maharashtra's legislature. Sunetra would be required get elected as an MLA in the Legislative Assembly or an MLC in Legislative Council. She is already a Member of the Rajya Sabha.
On Wednesday, Ajit Pawar was onboard along with two more personnel and two crew members in a private jet which crashed while landing. All five passengers on board died in the crash.
The aircraft was operated by a company called VSR and was a Learjet 45. The small aircraft, which took off from Mumbai around 8 a.m., crashed near Baramati airport during a landing attempt an hour later.
The 66-year-old politician was the nephew of veteran politician and NCP founder Sharad Pawar, who was in Delhi for the Parliament's budget session.
In 2023, Ajit Pawar led the mutiny in NCP, which led to split in the party. It was divided into two factions, one was led by him and the other was led by Sharad Pawar. He later joined the NDA government and became the deputy chief minister.
However, recently there were talks of an NCP reunion as the two factions in the latest Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation contested together.
ALSO READ: Ajit Pawar No More: What Does His Death Mean For Maharashtra Politics?
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