Her gaze fixed on the floor, pallu firmly tucked over both shoulders, sadness in her eyes and a quiet demeanour. That is how Sunetra Pawar, mother of two sons and wife of former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP supremo Ajit Pawar, walked into Maharashtra’s Vidhan Bhavan on Saturday (January 31, 2026). Flanked by party leaders, she strode quietly to the NCP office in Mumbai and paid floral tributes to the photo of her husband, who was killed in a plane crash on January 28. It was here that the party, which her husband formed three years ago along with several regional satraps after rebelling against uncle Sharad Pawar, chose her unanimously as its leader on Saturday.
In Pictures | Ajit Pawar's political journey
Ajit Pawar became the youngest member of the Sudhakarrao Naik Cabinet after winning a record margin of votes from Baramati. He was sworn in by the Maharashtra Governor C. Subramaniam at Raj Bhavan in June 1991.
Ajit Pawar was sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister in Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan's (right) cabinet in November 2010 for the first time.
Ajit Pawar seen with fellow NCP leader and his cousin Supriya Sule during Rashtrawadi Yuvati Melava in Satara, Maharashtra, in 2012.
