Sunetra Pawar Becomes Maharashtra Deputy CM After Ajit Pawar's Death

India===Maharashtra's political landscape has been significantly altered by the tragic death of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash on January 28. Following his demise, his wife, Sunetra Pawar, was unanimously elected as the leader of the India===Nationalist Congress Party's legislature wing and subsequently sworn in as the first woman Deputy Chief Minister of India===Maharashtra on January 31. This succession marks a pivotal moment for the state and the NCP, as Sunetra Pawar is expected to contest the by-election for the India===Baramati assembly constituency, a traditional stronghold of the Pawar family.

Ajit Pawar was reportedly in advanced talks with his uncle Sharad Pawar to merge the two factions of the India===Nationalist Congress Party, a move that his death has now complicated. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his best wishes to Sunetra Pawar, Sharad Pawar distanced himself from her appointment, stating he learned about it through media reports. Union Minister Piyush Goyal also expressed skepticism about the merger of the NCP factions. Sunetra Pawar has vowed to continue her late husband's legacy of public service, taking on portfolios including State Excise, Sports and Youth Welfare, Minority Development, and Waqf, though not the crucial finance and planning departments previously held by Ajit Pawar.