Sunetra Pawar: Baramati's 'vahini' to Maharashtra's 1st woman Deputy CM
India Today
If her husband, Ajit Pawar, was Baramati's 'Dada', Sunetra was fondly called by the people simply as 'vahini' (sister-in-law in Marathi). As she makes history as the first woman Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, the soft-spoken Sunetra Pawar will have her task cut out.
The past two years have been nothing short of a rollercoaster for Sunetra Pawar. From making her political debut at 61 by unsuccessfully contesting the Lok Sabha polls, to her surprise entry in the Rajya Sabha, to becoming the first woman Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra -- a post left vacant after the sudden death of her husband, Ajit Pawar. Sunetra, who has largely maintained a low profile, will now have to step into the forefront of Maharashtra's fractured political space and take the reins of the faction-ridden NCP.
It is a script India is not alien to. History is replete with examples of how political compulsions or tragic instances have propelled the wives of prominent leaders into the public arena. Sunetra's story is only the latest chapter. If her husband, Ajit Pawar, was Baramati's 'Dada', she was fondly called by the people simply as 'vahini' (sister-in-law in Marathi).
Sunetra was born in erstwhile Osmanabad (now Dharashiv) in 1963 into a Maratha family with a strong political background. Both her father, Bajirao Patil, and brother, Padamsinh Bajirao Patil, were powerful political figures. In fact, Padamsinh, a former Maharashtra Cabinet minister and ex-Osmanabad Lok Sabha MP, was one of the founding members of the NCP and was close to Sharad Pawar.
Despite her family having deep political roots, Sunetra was reluctant to join politics. She completed her Bachelor's in Commerce from the SB Arts and Commerce College in Aurangabad in 1983. In 1985, she met Ajit Pawar through her brother and tied the knot that year.
Yet, Sunetra stayed away from politics and chose to carve out a distinct identity by focusing on social initiatives in Baramati. NCP leader Supriya Sule and Sunetra Pawar, wife of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, during his last rites
She first grabbed attention through her public work in Kathewadi, the Pawar family's ancestral village. There, she led a cleanliness drive after noticing poor hygiene and open defecation, and is credited with turning it into Maharashtra's first 'eco village'. It now has solar streetlights, biogas units, and is among the first villages to adopt organic farming.
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