Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar tragically lost his life in a plane crash near Baramati airport this morning. The aircraft, carrying Pawar and five others, crash-landed at approximately 8:50 am, killing all on board.
NCP leader Supriya Sule, Pawar’s cousin, expressed her devastation on social media, writing “Devastated” on her WhatsApp status. Sule, along with NCP leader Praful Patel, his wife Sunetra, and son Parth, is en route to Baramati following the accident.
Pawar, 66, was traveling from Mumbai to Baramati to address public meetings as part of the campaign for the February 5 zilla parishad elections. The crash has sent shockwaves through Maharashtra’s political circles and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
For decades, the Pawar family has been central to Maharashtra’s politics, cooperative movement, and rural development initiatives. Despite a public political split in 2023—when Ajit Pawar joined the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance, diverging from his uncle Sharad Pawar’s faction—Supriya Sule emphasized there were no personal differences between them.
Pawar was widely recognized for his bold political strategies and willingness to take controversial decisions, complementing the measured, communicative approach of Sule, who leads Sharad Pawar’s faction of the NCP.
Leaders across the state have expressed grief over Pawar’s untimely demise, calling for a thorough investigation into the accident. Maharashtra’s political community is mourning the loss of a long-standing and influential figure in the state’s governance.
