Maharashtra Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar Appointed Guardian Minister Of Pune, Beed

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar was on Tuesday appointed as the guardian minister of Beed and Pune districts, posts previously held by her late husband Ajit Pawar.

On January 31, Rajya Sabha member Sunetra Pawar became Maharashtra’s first woman Deputy Chief Minister replacing her deceased husband and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar in the state cabinet.

The 62-year-old leader, who is not a member of either house of the Maharashtra legislature, was elected as leader of the legislature wing of the NCP.

Ajit Pawar had held the portfolios of Finance, State Excise, Sports and Minority Welfare. He also served as the guardian minister of Pune and Beed.

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Sunetra had already been given the departments of excise, sports and minority welfare, while Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will handle the finance portfolio.

Until the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Sunetra Pawar had kept a low profile. In the Lok Sabha elections that year, she contested from Baramati as the candidate of her husband’s party, but was defeated by her sister-in-law and incumbent NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule in the prestige battle. Sunetra Pawar was subsequently elected to the Rajya Sabha.