Yet another member of Pawar family has entered politics officially. Late Ajit Pawar’s younger son Jay Pawar is now part of ruling Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP) apex body, though he is yet to be assigned a designated responsibility within the organisation.

Jay Pawar was named apex level committee member of the party in a letter sent by Sunetra Pawar to the Election Commission of India (ECI) on March 10. His name was included in the panel at the party’s national convention held on February 26, where Sunetra Pawar was elected party’s national president  following the death of her husband and NCP chief Ajit Pawar, who was then the deputy chief ministerMaharashtra, in a plane crash.

Apex level committee is considered the highest decision making body in the party that is authorised to take various organisational and political decisions.

Jay Pawar, 29, was rarely seen on political field before the 2024 Assembly elections in Maharashtra, when he was rumoured to be contesting from Baramati instead of his father. Restricted to business, his name was linked with a liquor company when his father late Ajit Pawar started handling the excise portfolio. Jay pawar got married to Rutuja Patil in the first week of December 2025 at Baharain attended by many members of Pawar family.

Pawars in politics

After family patriarch and veteran leader Sharad Pawar, his nephew Ajit Pawar entered the politics in late 80s. After Ajit Pawar, Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule joined the politics after she became Rajya Sabha MP in 2006. Sharad Pawar’s grandnephew Rohit Pawar entered politics by winning 2017 Pune Zilla Parishad polls and later became an MLA. Sunetra Pawar became Rajya Sabha MP in 2024. Sharad Pawar’s another grandnephew Yugendra Pawar entered politics by unsuccessfully contesting 2024 assembly polls in Baramati.

Parth, the elder son of Ajit Pawar, has already become a Rajya Sabha MP of the NCP. He joined politics in 2019 when he unsuccessfully contested Lok Sabha election from Maval constituency as a candidate of the undivided NCP. He was then defeated by undivided Shiv Sena’’s Shrirang Barne. Since then, Parth has been active in political as well as social life. However, he took was never given an official position in the NCP.

Till now, Jay kept a distance from politics and was never seen active on the political arena. Since the death of Ajit Pawar, he is constantly seen accompanying his mother Sunetra Pawar to different places.

The letter sent by Sunetra Pawar to the ECI detailed organisational elections and names of office-bearers elected. The list includes Sunetra Pawar, Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare, Chhagan Bhujbal, Dilip Walse-Patil, Manikaraao Kokate, Chetan Tupe, Shekhar Nikam, Subodh Mohite, Shivajirao Garje, Saroj Ahire, Sana Malik, Jay Pawar and Dhiraj Sharma.