Sunetra Pawar: The Reluctant Politician Poised to Make History in Maharashtra
With strong indications emerging from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leadership, Sunetra Pawar, the 63-year-old Rajya Sabha MP, is being backed to fill the significant vacuum created by the passing of her husband, Ajit Pawar. This development positions her to potentially become Maharashtra's first woman Deputy Chief Minister, marking a historic moment in the state's political landscape. Despite being married into the influential Pawar family for over four decades, Sunetra largely maintained a distance from the active political fray until very recently, focusing instead on social initiatives and community development.
Early Life and Foundation in Social Work
Born in 1963 in Osmanabad, now known as Dharashiv, Sunetra Pawar was raised in a Maratha family with deep political roots. Her father, Bajirao Patil, was a noted local politician, and her brother, Padamsinh Bajirao Patil, emerged as a powerful political figure in the district during the 1980s. This upbringing placed her within one of Maharashtra's most influential political lineages even before her marriage into the Pawar family.
Sunetra completed her Bachelor's degree in Commerce from the S B Arts and Commerce College in Aurangabad, now Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, in 1983. Her marriage to Ajit Pawar was arranged by her brother in December 1985, after the couple first met earlier that same year. For much of her adult life, Sunetra consciously stayed away from formal politics, dedicating her efforts to social initiatives in Baramati and surrounding areas.
Her first major public work was initiated in Kathewadi, the Pawar family's ancestral village near Baramati. Noticing poor hygiene and widespread open defecation, she led a comprehensive sanitation drive. Residents fondly recall her personal participation in cleanliness campaigns and her active encouragement for households to construct toilets. This grassroots effort culminated in the village achieving the Centre's prestigious "Nirmal Gram" status in 2006, officially recognizing it as free from open defecation.
Kathewadi's transformation continued, evolving into a model eco-village equipped with:
- Solar streetlights
- Biogas plants
- Advanced waste management systems
- Organic farming practices
The village received several accolades, including the Sant Gadgebaba Swachhata Abhiyan award. Progressive measures were also introduced, such as recording mothers' names alongside fathers' names in land records and actively promoting women's self-help groups to foster economic independence.
Beyond village development, Sunetra Pawar played a pivotal role in establishing the Baramati Hi Tech Textile Park in 2008. This 65-acre facility, approved under the Centre's Scheme for Integrated Textile Parks, now employs more than 15,000 workers, with a significant majority being women engaged in apparel, weaving, and printing units. Sunetra has chaired this impactful project since its inception.
Political Career and Navigating Controversies
Sunetra Pawar's formal entry into electoral politics occurred during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Her husband fielded her as the NCP candidate, backed by the BJP-led NDA, from the Baramati constituency. This placed her in a direct contest against her sister-in-law, Supriya Sule, who is the daughter of NCP founder Sharad Pawar. Her candidature thus positioned her at the epicenter of the profound split within both the Pawar family and the NCP itself.
Despite a high-profile campaign, she lost the election to Supriya Sule. In the subsequent months, she was nominated to the Rajya Sabha, a move widely interpreted as Ajit Pawar's strategic effort to provide her with a formal political platform following the Baramati defeat. Since taking her oath in June 2024, her attendance in the Rajya Sabha has been recorded at approximately 69%, and she has actively participated in four debates, a figure that compares favorably with the national average.
While Sunetra Pawar has generally maintained a low public profile, her family has been associated with certain controversies. In 2009, her brother was named as the main accused in the 2006 murder of Congress leader Pawanraje Nimbalkar and his driver near Navi Mumbai. The CBI charged him with murder and criminal conspiracy, and the case remains pending before the courts.
Additionally, Sunetra Pawar's name surfaced in early investigations related to the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank case due to her connections with companies involved in sugar mill transactions. In 2021, the Enforcement Directorate attached assets linked to firms associated with both Ajit and Sunetra Pawar. However, it is notable that neither was formally named in the agency's subsequent chargesheet. Furthermore, in April 2024, the Mumbai Police's Economic Offences Wing provided her with a clean chit, stating that no criminal offence was found concerning the loan sanctioning or the sale and lease of sugar mills linked to the bank.
The Road Ahead: Leadership Challenges and Expectations
Sunetra Pawar is often described as soft-spoken and possesses limited direct political experience. If elevated to a senior leadership role within the NCP, she will face the formidable task of navigating a party landscape dominated by seasoned leaders who have held significant organisational and ministerial positions for many years.
The path forward is complex and hinges on several factors:
- In the event of a reunion between the two NCP factions, veteran leader Sharad Pawar is expected to play a crucial role in guiding the transition and party dynamics.
- Alternatively, if she must lead independently, she will likely rely heavily on her sons, Parth and Jay Pawar, both of whom are yet to establish themselves firmly in the political arena.
- She will also need to adeptly manage relationships with party leaders who have, in the past, aligned with the BJP to ensure their own political survival, balancing factional pulls within the party shaped by her family's legacy.
Her journey from a dedicated social worker in Baramati to a Rajya Sabha MP and now a potential Deputy Chief Minister underscores a significant, albeit reluctant, political evolution. As she steps into a larger role, her ability to unite the party, leverage her social work credibility, and navigate the intricate web of Maharashtra's politics will be critically tested. The coming months will reveal whether this reluctant politician can successfully carry forward her husband's substantial legacy while carving out her own unique space in the annals of Maharashtra's political history.
