From Baramati's 'Vahini' To The Power Chambers In Maharashtra: Who Is Sunetra Pawar?

New Delhi: Maharashtra's first woman Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar may not have tasted power before, but she had made her gamble into politics in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, though unsuccessful. However, being the wife of the sharpest politicians in Maharashtra, the late Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, who died in a plane crash this week, suggests that she might not be a newbie in the long political game.

Sunetra Pawar got sworn in as the state's first woman Deputy Chief Minister, on Friday, when the post fell vacant, all of a sudden, owing to her husband's death. Earlier in the day, she got elected as the Leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Legislative Party. Let us take a deep dive into the life of Sunetra Pawar and look beyond just the identity of being the wife of one of the tallest political figures in Maharashtra.

Who is Sunetra Pawar?

Born in Osmanabad (now Dharashiv) in 1963 into a Maratha family, Sunetra's father, Bajirao Patil, and brother, Padamsinh Bajirao Patil, were powerful figures in the world of politics. Padamsinh Bajirao Patil, who had been a Cabinet Minister in Maharashtra, was close to NCP veteran Sharad Pawar, and was one of the founding members of the party. Sunetra had always stayed at the backfoot when it came to joining politics. She did her Bachelor's in Commerce from the SB Arts and Commerce College in Aurangabad in 1983. She met Ajit Pawar in 1985 and got married that year. Sunetra had always maintained a low profile and was fondly known in Baramati as 'vahini' (sister-in-law in Marathi).

Public Work in Kathewadi

Sunetra Pawar first came into limelight through her public work in Kathewadi, the Pawar family's ancestral village where she conducted a cleanliness drive. She is also credited with turning Kathewadi into the state's first ‘eco village,’ being one of the first villages in the state to adopt organic farming. She had also spearheaded some grassroots campaigns on biodiversity conservation and water management, especially in the drought-prone areas of the state. In 2008, she had also set up the Baramati Hi-Tech Textile Park which employs around 15,000 workers.

In 2010, Sunetra Pawar founded the Environmental Forum of India (EFOI), a non-governmental organisation dedicated to raising environmental awareness and fostering eco-conscious communities. 

Dabble With Politics

In 2024 Lok Sabha polls, after the NCP split, Sunetra Pawar, was pitted against her sister-in-law and NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule from Baramati. After an unsuccessful contest against Sule, Sunetra was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the NCP.

Family Controversies

In 2009, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) named Sunetra's brother, Padamsinh Bajirao Patil as the main accused in the murder of Congress leader Pawanraje Nimbalkar. The case is still pending.

Sunetra Pawar's name also came up in a probe in connection with irregularities in the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank in 2021, when the Enforcement Directorate attached assets linked to firms associated with Ajit Pawar and Sunetra Pawar. However, the Mumbai Police had cleared her name in 2024.

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