Sunetra Pawar has reportedly accepted the proposal to take charge as Maharashtra’s new Deputy Chief Minister, with her oath expected around 5 pm tomorrow. If confirmed, the 63-year-old Rajya Sabha MP would become the first woman to hold the post, filling the position left vacant after the accidental death of NCP president Ajit Pawar. While she has long been part of one of Maharashtra’s most influential political families, Sunetra Pawar has largely stayed away from frontline politics until recently. Her potential elevation places her at the center of both the NCP’s internal dynamics and the broader Pawar family realignment.
Early Life and Social Initiatives
Born in 1963 in Osmanabad (now Dharashiv), Sunetra Pawar comes from a Maratha family with a strong political legacy. Her father, Bajirao Patil, was a local political figure, and her brother Padamsinh Bajirao Patil became a prominent district leader in the 1980s. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in commerce from S B Arts and Commerce College in Aurangabad in 1983 and married Ajit Pawar in 1985. For many years, Sunetra Pawar focused on social work, particularly in and around Baramati. In Kathewadi, the Pawar family’s ancestral village, she led sanitation drives, encouraging families to construct toilets and improve hygiene. Her efforts helped Kathewadi achieve the Centre’s “Nirmal Gram” status in 2006 and later develop into a model eco-village with solar streetlights, biogas units, waste management systems, and organic farming. She also promoted women’s empowerment, encouraging self-help groups and ensuring mothers’ names were recorded in land records alongside fathers’. Sunetra Pawar later chaired the Baramati Hi-Tech Textile Park, a 65-acre facility employing over 15,000 workers, most of them women, in textile production.
Entry into Politics and Rajya Sabha Role
Sunetra Pawar formally entered electoral politics during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, contesting from Baramati on the NCP ticket, though she lost to her sister-in-law Supriya Sule. She was subsequently nominated to the Rajya Sabha in June 2024, where she has maintained an attendance of about 69% and participated in four debates, above the national average. Despite her low public profile, her family has occasionally faced controversies. Investigations related to her brother and certain business transactions linked to Ajit and Sunetra Pawar have been resolved, with law enforcement giving her a clean chit in 2024.
Deputy CM Considerations
Following Ajit Pawar’s death, the NCP has been consulting both internal and external leaders to fill the Deputy CM position. Party leaders have emphasized sensitivity, noting that discussions with Sunetra Pawar will take place after family rituals. If appointed, she will need to assert herself among seasoned party leaders and navigate complex family and political dynamics. She is expected to rely on the support of her sons, Parth and Jay, while engaging with a party shaped by longstanding loyalties and internal factions.
Balancing Politics and Social Commitment
Sunetra Pawar’s potential elevation underscores her journey from social initiatives and community service to formal political responsibilities. Her work in sanitation, eco-village development, women’s empowerment, and textile employment projects reflects a focus on social impact, complementing her emerging role in Maharashtra’s political leadership.
