Baramati (Maharashtra) [India], January 29 : The mortal remains of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar were on Thursday brought to his residence in Katewadi ahead of his last rites. Funeral preparations are underway at the Vidya Pratishthan ground in Baramati for the Nationalist Congress leader who lost his life in a plane crash on January 28 morning.
Supporters of NCP chief and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar gathered outside Ahilyabai Holkar Government Medical College to pay their final respects as his mortal remains were taken out.
Shiv Sena leader Deepak Kesarkar expressed deep grief over the tragedy, calling it an extremely unfortunate incident. He said Pawar was a disciplined leader who began his day early and had complete command over administration.
"It is a very unfortunate incident, and everyone is grieving and remembering Ajit Dada. He was a very disciplined person, and he used to start his day very early. He had absolute control over the administration... He was very good at heart, which is why he loved everyone, and everyone loved him. The whole of Maharashtra is in deep sorrow today. No politics should be done at a time like this. His flight tried to land first, but due to fog, it could not land... I started my political career in Congress along with Pawar Saheb. When NCP was formed, I joined NCP. Dada loved all of us, and Sharad Pawar Saheb was an inspiration for all of us," Kesarkar told ANI.
The funeral procession for Maharashtra's longest-serving Deputy CM (non-consecutively) will start from the Vidya Pratishthan campus (Gadima) at 9 AM, pass through the city for people to pay their respects to Pawar, and culminate at the Vidya Pratishthan Ground for the funeral, scheduled to take place at 11 AM.
The mortal remains of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar will be carried in a decorated rath for his 'Antim Yatra' today. The chariot is adorned with flowers, featuring Pawar's image and a board reading "Swargiya Ajitdada Pawar amar rahein" (Long live Ajit Dada Pawar).
Ajit 'Dada' Pawar died on Wednesday in a plane crash at Baramati airport, leaving behind a long career of ups and downs in politics. He was headed to Baramati to attend a public rally for the Zilla Parishad Elections.
Ajit Pawar was born on 22nd July 1959 in Deolali Pravara, Rahuri taluka, Ahmednagar district.
He was known among the people as "Ajit Dada" for his tireless efforts on behalf of the people of Maharashtra and his ability to stay connected to them and the soil.
In addition to making significant contributions to government administration, Pawar oversaw the management of various cooperative organisations, including Milk Unions and Federations and sugar factories.
Ajit Dada's leadership journey began and continued across institutions such as milk unions, cooperative societies, sugar factories, and banks, and took a new direction in 1991 when he was elected to the Lok Sabha. He would later vacate the Baramati seat for his uncle Sharad Pawar. Since then, he has held many more positions, including MLA, Minister of State for various critical government departments, and Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
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.
In November 2019, he engineered a split in the NCP, joined a government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, and became the Deputy Chief Minister. In February 2024, the Election Commission awarded the party name and symbol to the faction headed by Ajit Pawar.
Despite this, Ajit Pawar was known to be very close to his uncle, Sharad Pawar, under whose guidance he began his political career. In the recently held Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Elections, the two rival factions of the NCP formed an alliance and presented a united development agenda for Pune.
Ajit Pawar was famed for his straightforward approach and frankness. He is survived by his wife, Sunetra Pawar and two sons, Jay and Parth Pawar.