He was often described as Maharashtra’s “ultimate political survivor”. However, fate took a cruel turn on Wednesday morning when Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was killed in a tragic aviation
accident as the plane he was travelling in crashed during landing at Baramati airport in Pune district.
The aircraft, a chartered flight carrying Ajit Pawar and a few others, was attempting to land in Baramati, his home constituency and political stronghold, when it reportedly encountered difficulties on approach and crash-landed.
Pawar was on his way to Baramati to participate in several scheduled public meetings and campaign events ahead of the ongoing local Zilla Parishad polls.
Born on July 22, 1959, Pawar was one of Maharashtra’s most prominent and enduring political figures. A nephew of veteran leader Sharad Pawar, he built a long political career rooted in the cooperative movement and grassroots administration before rising to state leadership.
He held the record of the longest-serving deputy chief minister of Maharashtra. He had been appointed deputy CM six times across different governments, serving under various chief ministers and political coalitions, and was holding the post at the time of his death.
Pawar began his foray into politics through local cooperative bodies and went on to represent the Baramati constituency in the Maharashtra legislative assembly for multiple terms.
After the 2023 split in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Pawar emerged as the leader of his faction and retained control of the party name and symbol. He allied with the ruling coalition in the state, becoming a central figure in Maharashtra’s governance.
Over decades in office, he held key portfolios, including finance, water resources and planning, shaping several state policies and budgets.
Despite his repeated stints as deputy chief minister, the chief ministerial post remained out of reach throughout his career, leading some observers to describe him as Maharashtra’s “ultimate political survivor”.
