Maharashtra’s first woman Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar to enter legislature

Mumbai: Monday will mark a historic day of sorts in Maharashtra when the state’s first woman deputy chief minister, Sunetra Pawar, joins legislature's proceedings. 

Incidentally, she is neither a member of the Legislative Assembly nor the Legislative Council. 

Sunetra Pawar was elected as NCP legislature party leader and sworn in as deputy chief minister by governor Acharya Devvrat on 31 January.

Three days before that, her husband and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, a six-time deputy chief minister, died in a plane crash in their hometown of Baramati in Pune district on 28 January. 

Sunetra Pawar is a Rajya Sabha member.

She will resign the Rajya Sabha seat and must be elected to either the Assembly or Council in six months from the day she took over.

Sunetra Pawar has been allocated the State Excise Duty, Sports and Youth Affairs, Minorities Development and Aukaf. However, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has kept the Finance and Planning portfolios with him.