NEW DELHI: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Thursday formally elected Maharashtra deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar as its new national president, nearly a month after the death of her husband, Ajit Pawar, who held both positions at the time.Ajit Pawar died in a private plane crash in his hometown of Baramati on January 28. The crash also claimed the lives of his personal security officer, both pilots, and a flight attendant, leaving no survivors.On January 31, the NCP unanimously elected Sunetra Pawar as the leader of its legislative party, another position where she succeeded Ajit. Hours later, she was sworn in as Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister. With six terms the late NCP boss was the state’s longest-serving deputy CM.Sunetra Pawar made her electoral debut in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, contesting the Baramati seat against Ajit’s cousin, Supriya Sule, who retained the constituency—a longtime stronghold of the Pawar family—winning her fourth consecutive term.The NCP subsequently nominated Sunetra Pawar to the Rajya Sabha. To continue as deputy CM, she has six months to secure election as a Maharashtra MLA.