Sunetra Pawar, the widow of the late National Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar, is set to take charge as the new Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister on Tuesday, February 10. Before taking charge, she will visit Siddhivinayak Temple and the Chaityabhoomi Dadar area of Mumbai to pay tribute to Dr BR Ambedkar.
Sunetra will be combined with NCP senior leader, including national working president Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare and others. She will also attend the state cabinet meeting scheduled to take place that afternoon.
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After Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash in Baramati on January 28, Sunetra was sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra on January 31. “After this, she will take charge as the new deputy chief minister,” confirmed a senior NCP office-bearer. “She will also attend her first cabinet meeting as deputy CM,” he added.
She was reportedly allocated all the portfolios previously handled by her husband. She has also been allotted ‘Devgiri’, Ajit Pawar’s favoured official bungalow at Malabar Hill.
Ajit Pawar Plane Crash
Ajit Pawar was travelling from Mumbai to Baramati in Pune for the Zilla Parishad election campaign in the early hours when his plane crashed at the airport. The crash proved fatal for all on board the private aircraft belong to a Delhi-based firm.
Those killed in the accident included Ajit Pawar, his personal security officer Vidip Jadhav, pilot-in-command Captain Sumit Kapur, first officer Captain Shambhavi Pathak and flight attendant Pinky Mali.