New Delhi [India], January 28 : Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday paid tribute to Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar, who lost his life in a plane crash in Baramati this morning.
In his condolence message in the Lok Sabha, Om Birla expressed grief over Ajit Pawar's untimely demise and highlighted his contributions to Maharashtra's development.
"The untimely demise of Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister Shri Ajit Pawar and others in a plane crash is extremely tragic. Ajit Pawar had also served as a Member of the 10th Lok Sabha from the Baramati parliamentary constituency in Maharashtra. Ajit Pawar will always be remembered for his work in the cooperative sector, public welfare, and the development of the state," he said.
Ajit Pawar was killed crash while travelling from Mumbai to Baramati earlier today.
Earlier in the day, Nationalist Congress Party (SP) MP Supriya Sule visited Vidya Pratishthan in Baramati to pay her respects to her late cousin, Ajit Pawar.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde were also present there to pay their respects to the late NCP leader.
Sunetra Pawar, wife of Ajit Pawar, broke down while meeting members of the Pawar family after the untimely demise of her husband in a charter plane crash that claimed four more lives.
Ajit Pawar, 66, died this morning after the aircraft carrying him crashed while attempting to land at Baramati airport in Pune district. The plane crash-landed near the runway threshold, killing all five people on board the chartered plane. Among the deceased were his personal security officer, a flight attendant and two pilots.
The crash occurred around 8.48 am, and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau have dispatched probe teams to the site of the mishap to investigate. Pawar was on his way to Baramati from Mumbai to campaign for the Zilla Panchayat elections.
Ajit Pawar's last rites will be performed with full state honours, the Maharashtra General Administration Department (Protocol) said.
Kiran, Trustee of Vidya Pratishthan, said that Pawar's last rites will be conducted tomorrow at 11 am.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minsiter Devendra Fadnavis announced a state holiday and three days of mourning following the demise of Deputy CM Ajit Pawar. During the three-day mourning period, the national flag will be flown at half-mast on all buildings across Maharashtra where it is regularly hoisted.
Ajit Pawar was the longest-serving Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra non-consecutively. He served in the position for six terms within various governments. He had worked as deputy chief minister in the cabinets of Prithviraj Chavan, Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde.
He is survived by his wife, Sunetra Pawar and two sons, Jay and Parth Pawar.