Maharashtra Governor Acharya Devvrat administered the oath of office to Sunetra Pawar in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde.
Preparations have begun for the swearing-in ceremony of late Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra Pawar as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra after she was elected as the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Legislative Party Leader on Saturday.
NCP Rajya Sabha MP and Ajit Pawar's widow, Sunetra Pawar, was chosen as the NCP Legislative Party Leader and is set to take the Deputy Chief Minister's post.
Ajit Pawar, 66, died in a plane crash along with four others on Wednesday, after which his wife Sunetra Pawar is speculated to take up the vacant Deputy CM post.
Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe Patil on Saturday questioned the rush to fill the Deputy Chief Minister post in Maharashtra, saying that it is not a constitutional post and had only been vacant for three days following Ajit Pawar's death.
NCP Maharashtra State President Sunil Tatkare on Saturday refused to comment on NCP (SCP) chief Sharad Pawar's remarks stating that he had no information about NCP MP and Ajit Pawar's widow Sunetra Pawar being pitched for the post of Deputy Chief Minister.
"When someone dies, nothing is done for 12-13 days...They don't celebrate any festivals or anything throughout the year. But politics disregards all rituals and traditions. They didn't wait for 13 days...But here, preparations are underway for the Deputy CM oath......," Raj told ANI.
Ajit Pawar's wife and NCP MP Sunetra Pawar will take oath as the Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister on Saturday, party spokesperson Rupali Patil Thombare said.
Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief and Ajit Pawar's uncle, Sharad Pawar on Saturday said that he has no information about NCP MP Sunetra Pawar's name being pitched for the post of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister.