Mumbai: Days after taking oath as Maharashtra’s first woman Deputy CM, Sunetra Ajit Pawar was unanimously elected president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). This was another major responsibility on her shoulders just a month after her husband’s tragic death in the Baramati air crash. For decades, Sunetra, popular as ‘Vahini’ or just ‘Tai’, chose to be the silent force behind her husband. But she remained accessible, grounded and attentive to the people of Baramati. Sunetra quietly built institutions of sustainability, empowering rural youth, women and farmers, and addressed environmental concerns. Earning awards and accolades, she continued in a similar vein until the NCP suddenly split apart in July 2023 and Ajit Pawar fielded her in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls from Baramati. Her opponent was her sister-in-law and the Nationalist Congress Party (SP) Working President Supriya Sule, who easily snatched victory. Barely months later, Sunetra waltzed into the Rajya Sabha with a nudge from the BJP, signalling new political equations. Challenges ahead Sunetra Pawar faces multiple challenges within the party, government, politics and family. There’s a dreaded, but not fully identified, ‘chandal chaukdi’ (gang of four), referred to by all, that’s hyper-active after Ajit Pawar’s death. This can test her authority. Here, Sunetra will have to assert herself and make efforts to carve her independent niche in politics. The sympathy factor may soon evaporate. Another question is whether Sunetra will initiate a ‘merger’ of the two NCPs. This was said to be the ‘desire’ of Ajit Pawar. A close family friend and retired IPS officer, Vikram Bokey, described Sunetra as ‘a gem of a human being, extremely poised, cultured, and with a highly educated background’. “The state witnessed her suddenly blossom into a leader after Ajit Pawar’s tragic passing… She has rekindled hopes among the masses. The people view her as the ideal candidate for the top (CM) post,” Bokey told The Perfect Voice . Sunetra – A village girl who became deputy CM Born on 18 October 1963, Sunetra hails from an influential political family. Her step-brother, Dr Padamsinh Patil, straddled state and national politics with ease for decades. She completed her BA, married Ajit Pawar in 1985, but chose to prioritise family and motherhood and only much later (2024) marked her reluctant political entry to support her spouse. She is a trustee of Vidya Pratishthan, chairperson of Baramati Hi-Tech Textile Park, and a member of the World Entrepreneurship Forum, a French think-tank. She launched the Environmental Forum of India (2010).
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