India, Feb. 10 -- Sunetra Pawar, wife of late Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Ajit Pawar, took charge as deputy chief minister (CM) of Maharashtra at Mantralaya on Tuesday. She is the first woman deputy CM of the state. Ajit Pawar died in a deadly plane crash on January 28.

She was accompanied by her elder son Parth to the ceremony, along with NCP national working president Praful Patel, Maharashtra president Sunil Tatkare, and other senior leaders of the party. She is also expected to attend a meeting of NCP MLAs. She is also tipped to replace her husband as the new NCP president.

Sunetra will attend the state cabinet at noon, and will then go to New Delhi where she is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union ...