Ajit Pawar: Dada’s Rise And Resurgence In Maharashtra Politics

Pune: Senior leaders cutting across party lines expressed deep shock and grief over the untimely death of Maharashtra Deputy CM and NCP president Ajit Pawar, who was killed in a plane crash near Baramati in Pune district on Wednesday(January 28th, 2026).

Describing his demise as a "black day" for the state, leaders remembered Pawar as a decisive administrator, a grassroots politician, and a leader deeply committed to public welfare and development.

Pune: Mortal remains of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar being brought to Vidya Pratishthan college ground for his funeral, at Baramati in Pune district, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (PTI Photo/Kunal Patil)

Ajit Pawar, the Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister, was elected for a record six times. For the 66-year-old grassroot politician, the end came in Baramati, his home turf.

Ajit Pawar File Pic ( PTI Photo)

Affectionately called ''Dada'' (elder brother), Ajit Pawar was known to speak his mind and did not mince words while expressing his view, especially before a rural audience. Pawar was known to be a workaholic and was famous for his punctuality.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, centre, and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde meet Sunetra Pawar, wife of the late Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, to pay their condolences, in Pune. (@CMOMaharashtra/X via PTI Photo)

In July 2023, he stepped out of his uncle and NCP founder Sharad Pawar's shadow by rebelling against him and walking away with most of the party's MLAs, along with the party's name and symbol.

Ajit Pawar seen with Nationalist Congress President (NCP) Sharad Pawar during a meeting at NCP office, in Mumbai, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2019. (PTI File Photo)

Born on July 22, 1959, to Asha and Anantrao Pawar, Ajit Pawar followed the footsteps of his uncle (his father's younger brother), Sharad Pawar, into politics in 1982.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar (PTI File Photo)

In 1991, he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Baramati and later vacated the seat for his uncle, who then became the defence minister in P V Narasimha Rao's government. Ajit Pawar then served as Baramati MLA for eight terms from 1991.

Thane: A worker of the NCP's Ajit Pawar faction pays floral tribute to a photograph of the late Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar at the party office in Thane, Maharashtra, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026 | (PTI Photo)

Ajit Pawar, who was the finance and planning minister, would have tabled his budget for 2026-27 next month when the state legislature's budget session begins in Mumbai on February 23.

Ajit Pawar: Dada’s Rise And Resurgence In Maharashtra Politics

Describing his demise as a "black day" for the state, leaders remembered Pawar as a grassroots politician, committed to public welfare and development.

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