Pune, Feb. 1 -- On a hazy evening in Mumbai, the political climate appeared charged as Ajit Pawar's widow Sunetra Pawar was sworn in as Maharashtra's deputy chief minister, catapulting her from the periphery of power to its very centre. In a state that has had a long history of prominent and powerful women in the social arena, women politicians in consequential positions have been conspicuously missing. On Saturday, Sunetra Pawar breached a glass ceiling when she became the state's first woman deputy chief minister. The 62-year-old Sunetra's rise is not merely an administrative development, it's a clear signal within the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) about who carries Ajit Pawar's legacy. It's also significant in the context of the unresolved struggle for control over Baramati, the citadel that has defined the Pawars' dominance for six decades. For decades, Sunetra was seen as the unobtrusive presence beside one of Maharashtra's most combative politicians. But, those who have watched her closely insist she was never a reluctant participant in public life. Ambitious, politically savvy and acutely aware of the calculus of power, she remained in the shadows largely because Ajit occupied every inch of political space around him. Her political grounding predates her marriage into the Pawar family. Her father Bajirao Patil was a veteran regional leader, while her brother Padamsinh Patil went on to become a prominent minister in the Maharashtra cabinet. Her nephew Rana Jagjitsinh Patil is at present a BJP lawmaker from Tuljapur. Politics was not an external influence; it was part of the household rhythm she grew up with. Educated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree from SB College in Aurangabad, Sunetra married Ajit in 1985, and it was only as late as 2008 that she started taking an active public role in Baramati. In March 2024, while she was campaigning at Mulshi for Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party, Sunetra received confirmation that she would contest the Baramati Lok Sabha seat against her sister-in-law Supriya Sule. The announcement formalised a contest that was political, personal and symbolic all at once. Sunetra framed the contest cautiously. "People want change," she said, thanking the Mahayuti leadership for nominating her. But, the stakes were unmistakable. Supriya Sule, six years her junior, carried the full weight of Sharad's legacy. The result was decisive. Sunetra lost by over 150,000 votes in one of the fiercest Pawar-versus-Pawar battles in recent history, even as the BJP-led Mahayuti suffered setbacks across Maharashtra. Yet, her defeat did not end her political trajectory. Within weeks, on June 21, 2024, she was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha. For Ajit, control over Baramati was always about future-proofing his political relevance. After the NCP split in July 2023, he recognised that organisational authority without Baramati was fragile. Sunetra's candidature in 2024 was part of that strategy. Her appointment now, supporters argue, is its continuation. People close to Ajit's faction say the decision to elevate Sunetra was driven by two imperatives. The first was continuity - ensuring that Ajit's political line, administrative style and organisational grip are not diluted in the transition. The second was succession. With Ajit gone, the question of who inherits his political space became immediate and unavoidable. They say that Sunetra too is keen to get elected from the Baramati assembly seat in the bypoll that is widely expected within the next six months. Winning Baramati would not only retain Ajit's legacy, but also anchor her authority as deputy chief minister with an electoral mandate. The Rajya Sabha seat, of which four years remain, may then go to either of her two sons....