Sunetra Pawar swearing in: Ajit Pawar's wife becomes first woman deputy CM of Maharashtra | Highlights

Sunetra Pawar, Ajit Pawar's wife, on Saturday was sworn in as the first woman deputy chief minister of Maharashtra.

Interestingly, NCP(SP) leaders Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule are missing from Lok Bhavan and won't attend Sunetra Pawar's swearing in ceremony.

Sunetra Pawar has reached the Lok Bhavan in Mumbai, where she will be sworn in as Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister shortly.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his deputy Ekanth Shinde have arrived at Lok Bhavan in Mumbai ahead of Sunetra Pawar's swearing in ceremony.

Praful Patel and Pankaja Munde have arrived at Lok Bhavan in Mumbai ahead of Sunetra Pawar's swearing in ceremony.

BJP leader Ram Kadam says, "Many leaders in NCP feel that his wife, who is a Member of Parliament, should become the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Now, what Sharad Pawar ji is saying or not saying is less important, given their blood relationship, he too would personally wish for Sunetra ji to become the Deputy Chief Minister. Perhaps, since they belong to different parties, he might have a different role in mind. But if he were asked personally, as a family member, he might also want this. However, only he can clarify his actual role in this matter."

Senior NCP leaders on Saturday met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and handed him a letter stating Sunetra Pawar has been appointed as NCP's legislature party leader.

NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule has left from party’s chief Sharad Pawar’s residence in Govindbaugh, Baramati.

Maharashtra Minister and NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal says, "Sunetra Pawar has been elected as the leader of the NCP Legislative Party... We will now meet with the Chief Minister and will proceed with the next steps... Sunetra Pawar will become the Deputy CM of Maharashtra."

Sunetra Pawar has resigned from Rajya Sabha after she was elected as the NCP legislative party leader in Maharashtra. She will take oath as Maharashtra Deputy CM later today.

Sunetra Pawar has been chosen as the leader of the NCP legislative party. Pawar will be the next deputy chief minister from the Mahayuti government and is scheduled to be sworn in by the Governor at 5 pm.

Sunetra Pawar has reached Vidhan Bhavan. The legislative party meeting is scheduled to begin shortly.

On reports of Sunetra Pawar as Deputy Maharashtra CM, Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC says, "Best wishes to her, a woman Deputy CM. She is also my neighbour. Best wishes to her."

NCP leader Sunil Tatkare said that the party’s legislature members will meet at 2 pm today to elect their group leader. He expressed hope that, keeping public sentiment in mind, Sunetra Pawar will be chosen. Afterward, NCP members will meet the Chief Minister with an official letter, following which the CM will make a decision.

The meeting at Devgiri Bungalow, which lasted for about one hour, has concluded. Praful Patel and other leaders were seen leaving the bungalow after the discussions.

Amid reports that Sunetra Pawar, wife of late NCP chief Ajit Pawar, may be sworn in as Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister, RJD leader Manoj Jha says, "Party leaders must have thought of preserving Ajit Pawar's legacy through Sunetra Pawar; good wishes to them."

“Sunetra Pawar will be the first woman Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Ajit Pawar’s son Parth Pawar should also be given a chance in a statutory position; I will suggest his name for the Rajya Sabha,” says NCP (AP) MLC Idris Naikwadi.

Ajit Pawar's son Parth Pawar arrived at Govind Bagh in Baramati following a press conference held by Sharad Pawar earlier this morning.  Discussions are underway regarding decisions taken within the party over the past two days. Present at the residence are Sharad Pawar, Supriya Sule, and Rohit Pawar.

NCP leader Sunil Tatkare stated that they will be meeting Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal has reached the Devgiri bungalow. 

Sunetra Pawar will be sworn in as Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister at 5 pm today. The oath-taking ceremony is expected to be brief, lasting only about 10 minutes.

Sunetra Pawar is set to resign from her Rajya Sabha seat shortly. Her resignation will be sent to the Rajya Sabha Chairman, CP Radhakrishnan. After stepping down as a Rajya Sabha MP, Sunetra Pawar will be elected as the leader of the legislative party this afternoon. The oath-taking ceremony is expected to be brief, lasting only about 10 minutes.

Official information has been shared by the Raj Bhavan (Lok Bhavan) stating that Sunetra Pawar’s oath-taking ceremony will be held at 5 pm this evening. Governor Acharya Devvrat is scheduled to return to Mumbai from Dehradun at 4 pm. The oath-taking ceremony will take place an hour later. The oath will be administered after the legislature party leader is chosen in a meeting at 2 pm. Preparations have already begun at Lok Bhavan (Raj Bhavan). 

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said that nobody has information about Sunetra Pawar taking oath as Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister. He added that only Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Sunil Tatkare, Praful Patel, and the person who is to take the oath might be aware of the decision.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has blocked his schedule for 5 pm at Lok Bhavan. After attending a programme in Navi Mumbai, he will return and remain at Varsha bungalow.

NCP leaders Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare meet Sunetra Pawar ahead of the legislature party meeting

NCP MLA Sana Malik leaves from the residence of late Deputy CM Ajit Pawar after meeting Sunetra Pawar.

Sunetra Pawar to be sworn in as Maharashtra Dy CM in Mumbai today at 5 pm, officials confirmed. 

The Sunetra Pawar camp is refraining from commenting on Sharad Pawar’s claims regarding the merger. After Sunil Tatkare and Praful Patel, senior leader Chhagan Bhujbal has also avoided speaking on the issue. Bhujbal said that he has no information about any merger-related discussions.

Jayant Patil claimed that around 10 meetings were held at his residence regarding the merger. He said that Ajit Pawar visited his home four times for discussions related to the merger talks. According to Patil, Ajit Pawar had expressed a desire for the two factions to reunite while Sharad Pawar is alive, stating that he wanted to remove the stigma of having split the party.

Anil Patil, NCP leader and former minister, said that the discussions related to a possible merger were known only to Ajit Pawar and were never discussed on the party forum. He stated that any decision on a merger in the future would be taken by NDA leaders, the Pawar family, and senior leaders of the party. Patil said the party’s immediate priority is to select the leader of the legislative party, adding that Sunetra Pawar is likely to be chosen. He also said that the party believes Sunetra Pawar should become the national president.  On portfolio allocation, Patil said that deciding who gets the Finance Ministry or any other ministry is the Chief Minister’s prerogative. Commenting on Parth Pawar meeting Sharad Pawar, Patil said the party feels there are no differences within the Pawar family.

Following Sharad Pawar’s statement, Ajit Pawar’s eldest son, Parth Pawar, visited Sharad Pawar at his Baramati residence in Govind Bagh. Sharad Pawar stated that he has no information regarding Sunetra Pawar’s oath-taking. He also mentioned that Ajit Pawar had wished for a merger of both the NCP. Meanwhile, Sunetra Pawar is at the Devgiri bungalow, the government residence in Mumbai. Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare visited her there to hold discussions.

Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare are heading to the Devgiri bungalow, where they are scheduled to meet Sunetra Pawar.

The internal meeting of the Pawar family has begun. Present at this meeting are Sharad Pawar, Supriya Sule, Rohit Pawar, Rajendra Pawar, and Yugendra Pawar.

According to sources, a meeting was held on January 17 at Sharad Pawar’s Govind Bagh residence in Baramati, attended by Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar, Jayant Patil, Rohit Pawar, Harshvardhan Patil, Rajesh Tope, and Shashikant Shinde. The discussions reportedly focused on bringing the two NCP factions together, following the results of the recent municipal corporation elections. 

When asked about the rush to take multiple political decisions following Ajit Pawar’s death, NCP-SCP chief Sharad Pawar said the discussions were not happening in Baramati but in Mumbai. “Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare, and other senior leaders are having these discussions. Whatever is being seen appears to be decisions taken by them. I will not comment on this,” he added, deflecting questions about the speculation surrounding party moves and leadership decisions.

Sharad Pawar revealed that discussions on the merger of the two NCP factions had been going on between Jayant Patil and Ajit Pawar for the past four months and were moving in a positive direction, with a public announcement planned for the 12th. Remembering Ajit Pawar, Sharad Pawar described him as a “capable and committed” leader who worked sincerely for the people and understood public issues deeply. He said Ajit Pawar always stood for justice and never fell short in fulfilling his responsibilities, with the people of Baramati firmly standing by him. Calling his death a deep shock, Sharad Pawar said the situation demands strength and unity, urging leaders to ease people’s suffering and carry forward the values and work culture Ajit Pawar believed in. He expressed confidence that the next generation of the Pawar family would continue his legacy and commitment to public service.

Speaking in Baramati, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said there was no confirmed information about Sunetra Pawar being sworn in as Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister today, adding that such a decision would be taken by her party. 

Speculation is growing that the two factions of the NCP may merge again. Close aides of Ajit Pawar say he was keen on uniting the party before his death.

Sources also say that senior leader Praful Patel is expected to be appointed as the national president of the Nationalist Congress Party.

Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra Pawar reached Mumbai's Devgiri, official residence of her late husband on Saturday. 

A day earlier, senior NCP leaders met Sunetra Pawar to discuss the party’s future following Ajit Pawar’s death. 

Responding to questions about the possibility of Sunetra Pawar being appointed as Deputy Chief Minister, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that any such decision would be taken by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). He stated that whatever decision the NCP makes, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will stand firmly by it. Read the full story here. 

According to sources, Sunetra Pawar’s swearing-in ceremony as Deputy Chief Minister is likely to take place at around 5 pm at Raj Bhavan, Mumbai.

Sunetra Pawar live updates: All NCP MLAs and MLCs have been called for a legislative party meeting at Vidhan Bhavan at 2 pm. Sunetra Pawar is expected to be elected as the party leader during this meeting.

Maharashtra deputy chief minister live: Sources indicate that Sunetra Pawar is likely to be sworn in as Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister later today.