Sunetra Pawar, 62, was sworn in as Maharashtra deputy chief minister on Saturday, filling the vacancy left by her husband and Nationalist Congress Party chief Ajit Pawar who died in a plane crash on Wednesday.

The hurried swearing-in seemed to cause a fresh rift within the Pawar family — so far united in grief over Ajit’s death — threatening to cast a cloud over the efforts at a reunification of their two NCP factions.

Family patriarch Sharad Pawar, who heads the NCP(SP) and is part of the Opposition bloc, said he had not been consulted about the swearing-in and learnt about it from media reports.

His daughter Supriya Sule, the party working president and Baramati MP, echoed him and stayed away from the oath-taking ceremony in Mumbai.

Insiders suggested a BJP hand behind the rushed swearing-in, saying the ruling party was wary of an NCP merger that, in the absence of Ajit, could place the reunified party in Sharad’s lap.

Sunetra Pawar signs documents after taking the oath as deputy chief minister on Saturday. PTI

“We were not aware of the swearing-in. We came to know about it from the news. I have no idea,” Sharad told reporters in Baramati, the family turf where the crash happened, on Saturday morning. He had been asked about family members attending the ceremony.

Sule said: “Tomorrow is the budget (presentation). I have a flight from Pune and am going to Delhi. As for the oath-taking, I don’t know about that.”

Ajit’s son Parth met Sharad later in the day, apparently to remove any misgivings, and is learnt to have briefed him on the developments leading to his mother’s hurried induction into the state government. The gesture, however, appeared to have limited impact.

Asked about the meeting, Pawar Sr said he was not directly involved in the discussions to unify the two NCP factions.

Sunetra, currently an NCP Rajya Sabha member, was administered the oath of office by governor Acharya Devvrat at a low-key ceremony in the presence of BJP chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde of the Shiv Sena.

NCP supporters chanted “Ajit Dada amar rahe” at the event.

Fadnavis is expected to keep the finance portfolio, held by Ajit, with himself for the time being, with the state budget scheduled for March. It’s expected to be later handed over to Sunetra. She is likely to also handle the excise and sports portfolios, sources said.

Sunetra made her political debut in 2024 — the year after the original NCP split — with Ajit fielding her against Sule from Baramati. Sunetra lost the high-profile contest and was later elected to the Rajya Sabha.

The strains in the Pawar family over Sunetra’s swearing-in will suit the BJP, which prefers a divided NCP to a unified party boasting 50-plus MLAs and eight Lok Sabha MPs.

Sunetra’s elevation came a day after a group of NCP leaders, led by Rajya Sabha member and industrialist Praful Patel, met chief minister Fadnavis.

Patel, a former Sharad confidant, is widely believed to have played a key role in splitting the party in 2023 and finalising Ajit’s alliance with the BJP.

Sources said Patel and NCP chief Sunil Tatkare had pushed for a swift swearing-in to prevent Sharad from regaining control of the party.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Sunetra on X, hailing her as Maharashtra’s first woman deputy chief minister, sidestepping his frequent criticism of political dynasties.

“I am confident she will work tirelessly for the welfare of the people of the state and fulfil the vision of the late Ajitdada Pawar,” Modi wrote.

At the recent appointment of a new BJP national president, Modi had described nepotism as a “threat to democracy”.