"No objection to Parth Pawar": Maharashtra CM a day after Sunetra Pawar's oath
Feb 01, 2026
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], February 1 : Just a day after NCP leader Sunetra Pawar took oath as Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said that decisions regarding the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) are made internally.
Fadnavis also clarified that there is no opposition to Parth Pawar. He also said that if there were any merger talks, Ajit Pawar would have informed him.
Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, CM Fadnavis said, "NCP's decisions are taken by the party itself. We have no objection to Parth Pawar. If there were any merger talks, Ajit Dada would have told me."
A day earlier, NCP Sunetra Pawar, leader of the Nationalist Congress Party and widow of the late Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, took oath as the state's Deputy Chief Minister at Lok Bhavan in Mumbai.
She stepped into fill the post that became vacant following the demise of Ajit Pawar in a plane crash on January 28 in Baramati. With this, Sunetra Pawar becomes the first woman Deputy Chief Minsiter of Maharashtra.
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.
Maharashtra Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Maharashtra State President of NCP, Sunil Tatkare and NCP Working President Praful Patel, and Maharashtra Minister Chhagan Bhujbal were also present at the occasion.
She was also elected leader of the NCP Legislative Party. NCP leaders then met with Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis to finalise Sunetra Pawar's appointment as Deputy CM.
She is known for her work in sustainable development, environmental conservation, and rural empowerment.
A Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha, she has emerged as a driving force behind several initiatives that promote inclusive and sustainable progress.
In 2010, she founded the Environmental Forum of India (EFOI), a non-governmental organisation dedicated to raising environmental awareness and fostering eco-conscious communities. She has led extensive grassroots campaigns focusing on biodiversity conservation, protection of endangered species, water resource management, and drought mitigation.
