Pune: On a foggy evening in Mumbai, the political atmosphere appeared tense as Ajit Pawar’s widow Sunetra Pawar took oath as Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister, taking her from the periphery to the center of power.
In a state that has a long history of prominent and powerful women in the social sphere, women politicians in important positions are conspicuously missing. On Saturday, Sunetra Pawar broke all barriers as she became the Deputy Chief Minister.
But his swearing-in just three days after Ajit Pawar’s death has reopened differences in Maharashtra’s politically most important family. On Saturday morning, family patriarch Sharad Pawar claimed that he had no prior knowledge about Sunetra Pawar’s political move. He said the merger of the two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) would be a “tribute to Ajit Pawar”.
62-year-old Sunetra’s rise is not just an administrative development; This is a clear indication of who is carrying forward Ajit Pawar’s legacy within the NCP. It is also significant in the context of the unresolved struggle for control of Baramati, the stronghold that has defined the Pawars’ dominance for six decades.
Sharad Pawar, who has seen every transition of power within his clan and in the broader context of Maharashtra, on Saturday responded in cautious words to the pace of Sunetra Pawar’s promotion. “There may be a feeling that someone has to take responsibility for the NCP and perhaps that is why Sunetra Pawar is being sworn in,” he said, a statement that acknowledged political logic without supporting the timing.
For decades, Sunetra Pawar was seen as one of Maharashtra’s most combative politicians. But those who have seen her closely insist that she has never been a reluctant participant in public life. Ambitious, politically savvy and acutely aware of the calculations of power, she remained largely in the shadows as Ajit Pawar occupied every inch of political space around her.
Her political background dates back to her marriage into the Pawar family. His father Bajirao Patil was a veteran regional leader, while his brother Padmasingh Patil became a prominent minister in the Maharashtra cabinet. His nephew Rana Jagjitsingh Patil is currently the BJP MLA from Tuljapur. Politics was not an external influence; It was part of the home rhythm she grew up with.
Educated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree from SB College in Aurangabad (now Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar), Sunetra Pawar married Ajit Pawar in 1985, and it was only in late 2008 that she began playing an active public role in Baramati. He played a central role in the establishment and operation of Baramati Hi-Tech Textile Park. The project allowed him to build a profile around women’s employment and industrial development – ​​a departure from Ajit Pawar’s image as a hard-working administrator.
Later, she became associated with the Pawar family-controlled educational trust, Vidya Pratishthan, which enabled her to join the Senate of Savitribai Phule Pune University in 2017. These positions gave her organizational experience and the opportunity to build her grassroots connections, even though she stayed away from electoral politics.
This changed decisively in 2024.
In March the same year, while she was campaigning in Mulshi for Ajit Pawar’s NCP, she received confirmation that she would contest from the Baramati Lok Sabha seat against her sister-in-law Supriya Sule. The declaration formalized a contest that was simultaneously political, personal, and symbolic.
Baramati is not just another constituency; This is where the Pawar family gets its power. While Ajit Pawar had already represented the pocket borough five times in the assembly, Supriya Sule had already been Baramati MP three times.
Sunetra carefully planned the contest. He thanked the Mahayuti leadership for nominating him, saying, “People want change.” But the stakes were surefire. Supriya Sule, six years younger than him, took the full burden of Sharad Pawar’s legacy.
The result was decisive. Sunetra lost by over 150,000 votes in the fiercest Pawar-versus-Pawar fight in recent history, while the BJP-led Mahayuti suffered a setback across Maharashtra. Nevertheless, his defeat did not end his political career. Within a few weeks, on June 21, 2024, she was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha – a sign that Ajit Pawar and his allies were determined to keep her at the center of the political chessboard.
His record in the Upper House since then has been uneven, but not negligible. Data from the Rajya Sabha website and PRS Legislative shows that their attendance is 69%, which is lower than the national average of 80%. He has participated in four debates including on environmental issues related to the upcoming Simhastha Kumbh in Nashik. He has asked 126 questions, which is much higher than the national average of 92.
The numbers invite inevitable comparisons with Supriya Sule, whose Lok Sabha record includes 93% attendance, participation in 250 debates, 629 questions and 16 private member’s bills in four terms. The contradiction is often cited by critics, but colleagues argue that Sunetra’s parliamentary tenure was never meant to be the culmination of his career.
His promotion to the post of Deputy Chief Minister confirms that assessment.
For Ajit Pawar, control of Baramati was always about future-proofing his political relevance. After the split of the NCP in July 2023, he recognized that the organizational right was fragile without Baramati. Sunetra’s candidature in 2024 was part of the same strategy. Supporters argue that his appointment now is a continuation of this.
Sources close to Ajit Pawar’s camp say the decision to promote Sunetra was driven by two imperatives. The first was continuity – ensuring that Ajit Pawar’s political line, administrative style and organizational hold were not weakened in this transition. The second was succession. With Ajit gone, the question became immediate and inevitable as to who would take his political place.
This question was recently complicated by the controversy involving his elder son Parth Pawar over the acquisition of government land in Mundwa, which became public when it emerged that his company had failed to pay stamp duty on it. Parth, who nurtured his political ambitions, lost from Maval in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The Mundwa land dispute has also raised doubts over whether he can step into a leadership role immediately. Ajit and Sunetra’s younger son, Jai, who got married recently, is considered too young to play any leadership role, especially when the NCP has many stalwarts like Chhagan Bhujbal, Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare.
Sources say this strengthened the view within Ajit Pawar’s camp that Sunetra should contest the elections herself and secure Baramati.
These sources say Sunetra Pawar is also keen to get elected from the Baramati assembly seat in the by-election, which is widely expected within the next six months. Winning Baramati will not only preserve Ajit Pawar’s legacy but will also preserve his authority as Deputy Chief Minister with an electoral mandate. The Rajya Sabha seat, which has four years left, could then go to either of his two sons.
Sunetra Pawar’s personal style is a complete contrast to her husband. She is firm but mild-mannered, cautious in public statements and measured in dealing with the media. She relies on a close group of friends, most of whom are from business and political families of Maharashtra. “His gentle demeanor works in rural and urban areas,” said an NCP leader who worked with Sharad Pawar before switching allegiance to Ajit Pawar.
Yet, this same restraint has forced critics to question whether she can handle the complexities of bureaucracy and coalition politics that define the role of the deputy chief minister. Supporters say The Office isn’t just about aggression, but about negotiation — something Sunetra has quietly practiced for years.
His access to the RSS and BJP ecosystems during the 2024 campaign underlined his political adaptability. She met RSS stalwarts, spoke at institutions considered important by the Sangh and tried to reassure workers that she could work within the Mahayuti framework. These moves were not spontaneous; They were part of a deliberate effort to widen his acceptance beyond the NCP’s traditional base.
However, rifts within the Pawar family remain evident. Most of the people of the clan have come with Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule. Sunetra’s brother-in-law Srinivas Pawar had publicly called Ajit “ungrateful” during the party split in 2023. To which Sunetra had reacted indirectly, by spreading a mythological message comparing Ajit Pawar’s struggle with Krishna’s victory despite the opposition. It was a rare glimpse of the steel beneath his cool exterior.
Now, with assuming the post, Sunetra Pawar has many burdens. He has to administer a complex state. He will have to stabilize the faction of the party which is still finding its feet after a painful defeat. And he must deal with a family feud that shows no sign of resolution.
His oath has no endpoint. This is an initial step.
