Sunetra Pawar has been appointed as the first woman Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Following her swearing-in on Saturday, she has been given charge of the excise, sports, youth welfare, and minority affairs and Auqaf departments. Governor Acharya Devvrat approved the allocation of three key portfolios, including State Excise Duty, Sports and Youth Welfare, and Minorities Development and Aukaf to Pawar.
She will not oversee the finance and planning departments, which were previously held by late Ajit Pawar. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will retain these portfolios and is expected to present the annual budget for 2026-27. The decision aims to ensure administrative continuity as the state gears up for the upcoming Budget session in March.
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) plans to request Chief Minister Fadnavis to assign the finance and planning departments to Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar after the budget session. Sunetra Pawar was unanimously elected as the leader of the NCP legislature party, leading to the approval of the portfolio allocation by the Governor.
This strategic appointment of Sunetra Pawar as Deputy Chief Minister is seen as a move to stabilize the party and the Mahayuti alliance before the local body elections. Sunetra Pawar was sworn in as the first woman Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra in a simple ceremony at Lok Bhavan, where Governor Acharya Devvrat administered the oath of office and secrecy.
