Sunetra Pawar formally takes charge as Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister

Mumbai: Describing her husband Ajit Pawar’s legacy as a “guiding beacon”, NCP’s Sunetra Pawar on Tuesday formally took charge as Maharashtra’s first woman deputy chief minister on Tuesday.

Sunetra Pawar, accompanied by NCP working president Sanjay Raut and party’s state unit president Sunil Tatkare and her sons Parth and Jay are expected to meet prime minister Narendra Modi and union home minister Amit Shah soon.

Sunetra Pawar (62) has been allocated the same office at Mantralaya in Nariman Point where Ajit Pawar sat and the same Devgiri bungalow at the Malabar Hill which was once occupied by her late husband.

It was an emotional moment, as Sunetra Pawar took charge of the ministries of State Excise Duty, Sports and Youth Affairs, Minorities Development and Aukaf.

Before taking over, she paid floral tributes to her late husband.

Soon after she took over, Sunetra Pawar attended the weekly Cabinet meeting presided over by Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Ajit Pawar (66), popularly known as Dada, who was the deputy chief minister and NCP president died in a plane crash in his hometown Baramati in Pune district on 28 January.

Three days later, on 31 January, Sunetra Pawar was unanimously elected as the NCP legislature party leader and sworn in as the deputy chief minister by governor Acharya Devvrat in Mumbai at the Lok Bhavan. However, after that she left for Baramati.

She then visited Karad in Satara district to pay tributes to late Yashwantrao Chavan. Besides, she also visited the house of late Constable Vidip Jadhav, the PSO of Ajit Pawar, who also died in the plane crash.

In fact, on Monday, the 13th day rituals of Ajit Pawar, was held in Baramati.

She left Baramati on Monday evening and en route visited the Ruby Hall Clinic, where NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar is recuperating following throat infection and breathing issues.

She reached her bungalow Devgiri around midnight in Mumbai and on Tuesday morning visited Chaityabhoomi to pay tributes to Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar.

She also visited the famous Siddhivinayak temple and sought the blessings of Lord Ganesh.

From there she drove straight to Nariman Point, where she visited the NCP state headquarters.

In Mantralaya, she paid tributes to legendary Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his mother Rajmata Jijau, social reformer couple Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai Phule, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar.

Thereafter, she entered Mantralaya, and assumed charge at her office in presence of top bureaucrats and her team.

As she formally took charge, Patel and Tatkare were seated on one side and son Parth on another.

“The lifelong dedication that Ajit Dada has shown toward the people of Maharashtra in pursuit of development is the guiding beacon for me. I will move forward on this path, drawing strength from Dada's work style, his decisiveness, and the deep bond he shared with the people. My foremost priority will be to fulfill his unfulfilled dreams and to do justice to the aspirations of farmers, women, youth, and ordinary citizens,” she said.

“No one can take Dada's place; but I will certainly make an honest effort to uphold the legacy of his ideals and to build a more capable Maharashtra,” she added.