“Ajit Dada and I share the same birth date. He was exactly 11 years senior to me. He was my dada (elder brother) in the real sense,” Mr. Fadnavis said while speaking on the motion.
Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday described late former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar as the “best chief minister Maharashtra never had”. Pawar, who was sworn in as deputy chief minister six times, had often spoken openly about his ambition to one day lead the State as chief minister.
Both Houses of the Maharashtra Legislature paid tribute to Pawar on the opening day of the Budget session. Mr. Fadnavis also announced a CBI probe into the plane crash incident involving Pawar.
Mr. Fadnavis moved the condolence motion in the Legislative Assembly, while Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde moved the motion in the Legislative Council.
“Ajit Dada and I share the same birth date. He was exactly 11 years senior to me. He was my dada (elder brother) in the real sense,” Mr. Fadnavis said while speaking on the motion. “He became deputy chief minister six times and was a leader of immense capabilities. I truly believed destiny would one day give him the opportunity to become chief minister. Today, I would say he was the best chief minister that Maharashtra never had.”
In the Legislative Council, Mr. Shinde described Ajit Pawar as a strong pillar of support for the government. He credited the late leader for ensuring that the government’s flagship ‘CM Ladki Bahin’ scheme was implemented without disturbing the State’s financial balance. The scheme later proved to be a game changer for the Mahayuti alliance in the 2024 Assembly election.
“We had to launch the Ladki Bahin Yojana. We discussed it in detail and implemented it properly without upsetting the State’s finances. Dada was a strong pillar of support for us, but now we have lost that support,” Mr. Shinde said.
Former chief minister and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray recalled Ajit Pawar’s tenure as Finance Minister in his government. “When I was chief minister, he was the finance minister. He not only handled the finance ministry efficiently but also ensured that Maharashtra did not come to a standstill even during the COVID period,” Mr. Thackeray said.
“It is true that I have lost a dear friend, but it is also true that Maharashtra has lost an efficient leader,” he added. “In recent times, we have lost great leaders like Gopinath Munde, R. R. Patil and Ajit Pawar. This is a misfortune for Maharashtra. I never imagined I would be making a condolence speech for Ajit Dada.”
In the evening, a memorial service for the late deputy chief minister was held in a somber atmosphere at the Worli Dome in Mumbai. Leaders from across party lines attended to pay their respects. Industrialists Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani, along with actor Nana Patekar, were present.
Addressing the gathering, Mr. Fadnavis said that when history recounts the leaders who shaped Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar’s name would certainly figure among them. “He possessed profound knowledge of every taluka and every incident in the State. He truly had his finger on the pulse of Maharashtra,” he said.
Actor Nana Patekar could not hold back his tears while speaking. Mr. Patekar, visibly emotional, said, “I shared a close, personal bond with Ajit Dada for the last 50 years. So many people have gathered here today; it would have been far more heartening if the same crowd had gathered to celebrate his 75th birthday.”
