Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief, Ajit Pawar, died on Wednesday, when the plane he was travelling in crash-landed near Baramati in western Maharashtra. He was 66. According to multiple media reports, the Learjet attempted an emergency landing shortly after departing from Mumbai, but caught fire and crashed, killing all five people on board, including Pawar, his security personnel and the two crew members.
The tragedy has sent shockwaves through Maharashtra’s political landscape, marking the end of a remarkable, and at times controversial, career that spanned more than three decades.
Ajit Anantrao Pawar was born on 22 July 1959, in Deolali Pravara, a village in Ahmednagar district, into a politically influential family. His early years in rural Maharashtra exposed him to the socio-economic challenges faced by farmers and agrarian communities, experiences that helped shape his political instincts.
Pawar’s formal entry into politics came in 1991, when he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Baramati, a bastion of influence for his family. He soon shifted focus to state politics, being elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from Baramati in 1995, a seat he held through successive elections over the next three decades.
Ajit Pawar was the nephew of Sharad Pawar**, the venerable architect of the Nationalist Congress Party and one of Maharashtra’s most dominant political figures. For many years, Ajit’s rise was tightly linked with his uncle’s towering presence in state politics. He became a key figure in the NCP, trusted with important portfolios including irrigation, water resources, finance and planning, and rural development across multiple administrations.
He served as Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister multiple times, holding the office across six separate terms under different governments, a testament both to his political adaptability and enduring influence.
However, in July 2023, Pawar made a dramatic political shift that altered his relationship with his uncle and reshaped Maharashtra’s political map. Citing strategic differences, he led a faction of the NCP into alliance with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in Maharashtra, spearheaded by Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde. This move effectively split the once-united NCP, with the Election Commission later recognising the Ajit Pawar-led faction as the official NCP under his leadership.
The break with Sharad Pawar was widely seen as a significant political rupture. While it gave Ajit Pawar a more independent power base and control over the party apparatus, it also brought criticism from some quarters for aligning with ideological opponents and fracturing a party that had been built on a shared regional identity.
Throughout his career, Ajit Pawar was often described as a political strategist and an administrator with an eye for governance and fiscal management. As the state’s Finance and Planning Minister, he played a central role in shaping Maharashtra’s budgets and public spending priorities, earning him respect across party lines.
Known affectionately by supporters as “Dada,” he maintained a reputation for accessibility through public “Janata Darbars” and was credited with pushing for targeted development initiatives, particularly in rural regions.
Yet his career was not without contention. At various points, critics raised questions about political decisions, alliances, and governance choices; nevertheless, Pawar remained a fixture in Maharashtra politics, continuously returning to positions of influence.
Ajit Pawar’s sudden death leaves a significant vacuum in the political architecture of one of India’s most populous and economically pivotal states. As Deputy Chief Minister and leader of a prominent regional party faction, he played a central role in coalition politics, balancing power with allies and rivals alike.
He is survived by his family, including his wife and children, and by a complex political legacy that will continue to shape Maharashtra’s landscape. In Baramati, the constituency that anchored his long career, the shock of his passing is profound, a stark reminder of the unpredictability of public life and the fragility of political order.
