Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis has Declared a State Holiday and 3 Days of Mourning Following the Deputy CM’s Death

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Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar's last rites were performed at the Vidya Pratishthan ground in Baramati. A sea of supporters and political leaders, including CM Devendra Fadnavis and deputy CM Eknath Shinde, paid their last respects.

Ajit Pawar Funeral

The final rites of the NCP president took place at the grounds of Vidya Pratishtan, an education institute set up by the Pawar family, with full state honours on Thursday (January 29, 2026).

Pawar’s sons Parth and Jay lit the funeral pyre as his wife Sunetra, who is a Rajya Sabha member, struggled to hold back tears, while the air resonated with chants of “Ajit Dada amar rahe".

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Union ministers Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, Murlidhar Mohol, former Union minister Sharad Pawar, who is Ajit Pawar's uncle, and BJP president Nitin Nabin attended the 66-year-old Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief’s funeral.

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and deputy CM Eknath Shinde were also present at the Vidya Pratishthan ground in Baramati.

Baramati Plane Crash

Ajit Pawar and four others died in a plane crash in Baramati town in Maharashtra on Wednesday (January 28, 2026) morning. The NCP leader, 66, was travelling in a mid-size business jet that departed from Mumbai at 8.10 am for Baramati, where he was scheduled to address rallies for the upcoming rural body elections.

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Along with Ajit Pawar, captain Sumit Kapoor, first officer Shambavi Pathak, flight attendant Pinky Mali, and Pawar’s personal security officer Vidhit Jadhav were also killed in the crash.

After circling back, pilots confirmed a second landing attempt at 8.43 am, but a minute later, the air traffic control saw flames near the runway as the aircraft veered off course and crashed.

He is survived by his wife, Rajya Sabha member Sunetra Pawar, and two sons, Jay and Parth Pawar.

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Ajit Pawar's Political Journey

Born on July 22, 1959, Ajit Pawar followed the footsteps of his uncle Sharad Pawar into politics. He was elected to the board of a sugar factory in 1982. He was elected to the Lok Sabha from Baramati in 1991 and later vacated the seat for his uncle, who then became the defence minister. Pawar then served as Baramati MLA for eight terms from 1991.

He became the state’s deputy chief minister a record six times under chief ministers Prithviraj Chavan, Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray, and Eknath Shinde. 

Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu initially suggested that the crash occurred during poor visibility. The ministry statement said conditions were calm and visibility at 3,000 metres. Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar appealed to people not to turn this death into a political issue.

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