Mumbai, February 10 Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar took over her ministerial duties at the state secretariat, Mantralaya, on Tuesday, 13 days after the death of her husband and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar.
She was accompanied by senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders and her elder son, Parth Pawar, as she took her seat in the Deputy CM's office, marking a significant transition in the state's leadership.
NCP leaders Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare, Chhagan Bhujbal, and Dhananjay Munde were also present.
Sunetra Pawar will attend the cabinet meeting scheduled for Tuesday, which will be the first since Ajit Pawar's death.
She will also participate in the business advisory committee meeting for the February 23 budget session.
Ajit Pawar, an NCP leader, was killed in a plane crash in Baramati, Pune district, on January 28.
Sunetra Pawar took oath as the state's first woman Deputy CM on January 31. She has been assigned the portfolios of excise, sports, minority welfare, and Wakf, and has also been appointed as the guardian minister for Beed and Pune.
She arrived in Mumbai from Pune early on Monday and offered prayers at the Siddhivinayak temple and the memorial of BR Ambedkar at Chaityabhoomi in Dadar area.
The Deputy CM, accompanied by her elder son, then visited the NCP office and met party MLAs and ministers before heading to Mantralaya.
In the first election held on February 7 after Ajit Pawar's death, his party retained the Pune Zilla Parishad by securing 51 out of 73 seats, as per the results declared on Monday. The NCP and Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP) had contested together on the 'clock' symbol.