After the accidental death of the state's Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, there has been a major upheaval in Maharashtra's politics. Following this tragic event, Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra Pawar took the oath as Deputy Chief Minister. After the swearing-in, most of the portfolios held by Ajit Pawar were handed over to Sunetra Pawar, except for the finance portfolio. Additionally, she has been given the charge of guardian minister for the two important districts of Pune and Beed. However, after this swearing-in, a storm has erupted in political circles, with many leaders alleging that the swearing-in was rushed. Notably, some leaders of the Shiv Sena have strongly criticized the state president of the Nationalist Congress Party, Sunil Tatkare, on this issue.
Senior Shiv Sena leader Ramdas Kadam expressed strong dissatisfaction over this oath-taking ceremony. He made serious allegations against Sunil Tatkare, saying, “Dirty politics started immediately after Dada's departure. Ajit Dada's ashes hadn't even cooled, and Sunetra Vahini was made to take the oath. What would have been the harm if it had been delayed by ten days?” He said this act was not in line with Maharashtra's culture and was condemnable. He also accused that this was done to challenge Sharad Pawar.
On the same issue, Shiv Sena minister Uday Samant also raised a question, asking, “Who and why was this oath-taking ceremony conducted so quickly?” Sanjay Shirsat also expressed the opinion that the oath-taking ceremony happened very soon after Ajit Pawar's demise. After all these allegations and counter-allegations, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has given a clear response to this controversy. He stated that the controversy surrounding Sunetra Pawar's oath-taking is completely baseless and wrong. “Ajit Dada was the Deputy Chief Minister of the state and a great leader. It is very wrong to politicize their grief after their unfortunate demise,” said Fadnavis.
Fadnavis further said that it is very unfortunate that everyone is thinking about how to benefit politically from this incident. Such low-level politics should stop, and everyone should show sensitivity, he firmly stated. This is a time to express grief after Ajit Pawar's demise, not to make accusations, the Chief Minister has clearly stated.