Mumbai: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has released the audio of Ajit Pawar’s final phone conversation before his death in a plane crash last week.
The 66-year-old last spoke to party member Shrijeet Pawar before taking off from Mumbai for Baramati. In his final conversation, Ajit Pawar spoke of unity and equality, stressing the importance of including all religions and castes. Recalling the call, Shrijeet Pawar said he had sent him a message and that Ajit Pawar, fondly known as “dada” in Maharashtra’s politics, called him back as soon as he entered an area with network coverage. "Ajit Dada and I are from the same village. I had sent him a message regarding a certain matter. He called me as soon as he got network coverage. He said that we are taking all castes and religions along with us," he added. The party said the audio was made public because it carried a message they believe should reach the masses. “This is an attempt to bring this audio call recording to everyone’s attention so that Maharashtra knows what Ajit Dada’s thoughts were until his last breath,” said Shrijeet.
Baramati, Maharashtra: Late Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s cousin, Shrijit Pawar says, "...I sent him a message on the morning of 28 January at 8:19 AM. He was not yet in the aircraft’s range. As soon as he came within range, he read the message and immediately… pic.twitter.com/h5h2gkOspz
— IANS (@ians_india) February 4, 2026
What Was The Conversation?
Ajit Pawar: "We also take all castes and religions along with us."
Shrijeet Pawar: "No, Dada, I just said what I felt."
Ajit Pawar: "The Mali community has been given representation in the Zilla Parishad from the Supe Group. We have tried to give justice to everyone."
Shrijeet Pawar: "Yes, Dada, take whatever decision you think is right."
Ajit Pawar was Maharashtra’s longest-serving Deputy Chief Minister, holding the post for six non-consecutive terms under different governments. He served as Deputy Chief Minister in the cabinets of Prithviraj Chavan, Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde.
The NCP unit in Baramati said Ajit Pawar had made the call to party worker and distant relative Shrijeet Patil barely 10 minutes before the crash. The audio recording, which was shared with the media in Baramati, captures Pawar speaking to Shrijeet and explaining how he had selected candidates for the Zilla Parishad polls to ensure representation for all castes.
Following his death, his wife Sunetra Pawar was appointed Deputy Chief Minister and also named Guardian Minister of Pune, a position Ajit Pawar had held for many years.
On January 28, Ajit Pawar took off from Mumbai around 8 am in a Learjet 45 operated by Delhi-based firm VSR Ventures. He was scheduled to address four election rallies in his hometown of Baramati ahead of local body polls. The aircraft crashed at around 8:45 am while attempting a second approach to Baramati airport.
Along with Pawar, those killed in the crash included his personal security officer, an attendant and the two cockpit crew - pilot-in-command Sumit Kapur and first officer Shambhavi Pathak.
Ajit Pawar’s death has left a significant void not only within the NCP but also in Maharashtra’s political landscape. Days after the tragedy, his wife Sunetra Pawar was sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister, filling the position left vacant by the veteran leader.
