Shadows To Spotlight: Sunetra Pawar Set To Fill Husband's Massive Shoes

Even before she stepped into the powerful Pawar family through her marriage to Ajit Pawar in 1985, Sunetra Pawar, then Sunetra Patil, had politics in her bones. Her father, Bajirao Patil, was a powerful local politician and her brother followed in his footsteps.

And yet, for nearly four decades, she stayed away from active politics, choosing to be part of decision-making behind the scenes as the NCP continued to play a pivotal role in Maharashtra and even national politics. Then came the split, when Ajit Pawar parted ways with his uncle, Sharad Pawar, in 2023 and emerged as the head of his own party, claiming the name and symbol of the NCP in the process.

The next year - 2024 - proved to be a turning point for Sunetra Pawar, affectionately known by supporters as 'Vahini' (sister-in-law). She stepped into the political arena, contesting the Lok Sabha elections from the Baramati constituency against her sister-in-law Supriya Sule - who was representing the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) - only to lose by a margin of over 1.5 lakh votes. She was then elected to the Rajya Sabha months later. 

Wednesday, and a plane crash which killed Ajit Pawar and four others, changed everything.

The 62-year-old, still reeling from the loss, will now have to leverage every ounce of political knowledge she has as she attempts to fill her husband's formidable shoes, taking over not only as the NCP legislature party leader, but the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra. 

Education, Initiatives

Born in October 1963, Sunetra pursued a B Com degree from SB College in Aurangabad. After her wedding in 1985,  she went on to lead a large industrial undertaking like the Baramati High-Tech Textile Park, where she was responsible for decision-making on four fronts - production, investment, employment, and women's empowerment. She also serves as a trustee of the educational group Vidya Pratishthan, where she oversees the education of over 25,000 students.

In 2010, she founded the Environmental Forum of India (EFOI), through which she played a key role in making Katewadi village the country's first 'eco-village,' a model for water conservation and solar energy. 

She has also led extensive grassroots campaigns focusing on biodiversity conservation, water resource management, and drought mitigation.

Swearing-In, Road Ahead

Sunetra Pawar is expected to be sworn in as deputy chief minister at 5 pm on Saturday. The day was decided after NCP leaders managed to convince her to take up the post. 

"Many people believe that Sunetra Pawar should be given this responsibility, and I don't think that demand is unreasonable. The currently vacant Deputy Chief Minister's post can be filled by Sunetra ji... Tomorrow's meeting is primarily to elect the legislature party leader," NCP leader and Maharashtra Minister Chhagan Bhujbal said on Friday. 

NCP working president Praful Patel also said the entire party was united on the issue. 

Another key challenge for Sunetra Pawar after she assumes her new responsibilities would be to answer the question of whether the NCP should reunite with the Sharad Pawar faction. NCP sources have said Ajit Pawar was working on the reunion before his death, but its bargaining power could be markedly different in his absence. 

Should the reunion happen, it will also throw up the knotty issues of who would be the party chief - Sharad Pawar, his daughter Supriya Sule, Sunetra Pawar, or someone else entirely - and which side the united NCP will support. While Ajit Pawar's NCP is aligned with the BJP and Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, the Sharad Pawar faction is in the opposing camp, with the Congress and the Uddhav Thackeray group of the Shiv Sena.