Minutes after being sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Sunetra Pawar on Saturday said she was “ready to serve” the state and vowed to carry forward the people-centric legacy of her late
husband, senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar.
In her first statement after taking oath, Sunetra Pawar said she accepted the responsibility with a deep sense of duty and commitment.
“Carrying forward the people-oriented legacy of respected Ajitdada, I am ready to serve Maharashtra with a sense of responsibility,” she said.
Describing the moment as emotionally overwhelming, Sunetra Pawar recalled Ajit Pawar’s lifelong dedication to farmers, labourers, women, youth and marginalised sections of society. She said his ideals and work would remain her guiding force as she begins her new role in public life.
“Ajitdada devoted his entire life to serving the people of Maharashtra. His untimely passing has caused immense personal loss and deep sorrow across the state. But the sense of duty, resilience and commitment to the people that he instilled in me will always remain my strength,” she said.
The Deputy Chief Minister said she would work with honesty, transparency and a people-first approach to build a just, inclusive and developed Maharashtra, inspired by the ideals of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Shahu Maharaj, Mahatma Phule and Dr B R Ambedkar.
Thanking the people of Maharashtra for their support during a difficult period, Sunetra Pawar said effective implementation of government schemes, farmer welfare, youth opportunities, women’s empowerment and improving the lives of common citizens would be among her top priorities.
She also reaffirmed the Mahayuti government’s commitment to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Developed India 2047’ and said the state would continue to work under the guidance of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Expressing confidence in the leadership of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, she said she would strive for inclusive growth, social justice and economic progress in Maharashtra.
“I am grateful to the people of Maharashtra and to my colleagues in the Nationalist Congress Party for the trust placed in me. I promise to work to the best of my ability to live up to these expectations and take the state to new heights of development,” Sunetra Pawar said.
Sunetra Pawar was sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra after being unanimously elected as the leader of the Nationalist Congress Party’s legislature group.
During the oath-taking ceremony, she was dressed in a white saree and took the pledge amid chants of “Ajit Dada amar rahein,” invoking the memory of her late husband.
The ceremony was attended by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. However, no members of the extended Pawar family were present at the event.
Along with the post of Deputy Chief Minister, Sunetra Pawar has been assigned key portfolios, including State Excise, Sports and Youth Welfare, Minority Development and Waqf.
Ajit Pawar, a senior NCP leader and Maharashtra’s longest-serving Deputy Chief Minister in non-consecutive terms, died in a tragic plane crash on Wednesday while travelling from Mumbai to Baramati.
His personal security officer and three cabin crew members were also killed in the accident.
The aircraft crashed while attempting to land at the Baramati airfield at around 8.48 am. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau have sent investigation teams to determine the cause of the mishap.
