Baramati Bids Tearful Farewell To Ajit Pawar

Mumbai: The final rites of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who died in a plane crash, were performed with full state honours on Thursday morning in Baramati. Senior political leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and BJP president Nitin Nabin, attended the funeral of the 66-year-old Nationalist Congress Party leader.

Thousands of people gathered at the Vidya Pratishthan grounds, where the last rites were held. Pawar’s sons, Parth and Jay, lit the funeral pyre.

The mortal remains were brought to Pawar’s ancestral residence in Katewadi from Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Government Medical College at around 7 am. Draped in the national flag, the body was later taken from Katewadi to the Vidya Pratishthan grounds at about 10.30 am.

Thousands of emotional supporters gathered at the ground chanted slogans such as “Ajit Dada Amar Rahe" (Long live Ajit Dada), “Ekach wada, Ajit Dada” (only one commitment, Ajit Dada) and "Ajit Dada Parat Ya" (Ajit Dada, come back), as the flower-decked vehicle made its way.

The funeral pyre was lit at around 11.30 am amid a 21-gun salute and the sounding of the Last Post by the Maharashtra Police. Members of the Pawar family, including Sharad Pawar, were present throughout the rituals. NCP leader Supriya Sule was seen holding the hand of Pawar’s wife, Sunetra, who appeared visibly shaken.

Several senior political leaders paid their last respects, including Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, and Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant. Actor Reteish Deshmukh also attended the funeral.

In a post shared on X, Mr. Shah said, “I paid my last respects to Ajit Pawar ji and offered heartfelt tributes to him. The untimely demise of Ajit Pawar ji, who was dedicated to society and the people, has created such a void in Maharashtra’s politics that it will not be possible to fill it for a long time.”

Pawar was killed on Wednesday, 28 January, when a chartered Bombardier Learjet 45 carrying him from Mumbai to Baramati for an election rally crashed near the Baramati airstrip. Preliminary reports from the Ministry of Civil Aviation indicated that the aircraft encountered poor visibility and crashed during an attempted go-around, about 200 metres from the runway threshold. The crash claimed the lives of four others and the aircraft burst into flames.

The plane’s black box has been recovered and will be handed over to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for further investigation.

“The investigation is progressing expeditiously, with a thorough, transparent and time-bound inquiry remaining a top priority,” the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a statement on Thursday.

The Maharashtra government has announced three days of state mourning, with the national flag flying at half-mast on all government buildings.