Ajit Pawar

Ajit Anantrao Pawar^[a] (22 July 1959 – 28 January 2026) was an Indian politician who served as Maharashtra's longest-serving deputy chief minister for more than eight years, between 2010 and his death in 2026, for six terms.^[2][3] He held the office under various governments, including the cabinets of Prithviraj Chavan, Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray, and Eknath Shinde.^[4]

He also served as the leader of the opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from 2022 to 2023 and represented Baramati Lok Sabha constituency in 1991.^[5]

Early life

Ajit Anantrao Pawar^[6] was born on 22 July 1959 in Deolali Pravara, Maharashtra,^[7][8] to Anantrao and Ashatai Pawar.^[9] In 1985,^[10] he married Sunetra Pawar (née Patil), the sister of Padamsinh Bajirao Patil, a senior NCP leader.^[11][12] The couple had two sons, Parth and Jay Pawar.^[13]

Pawar's grandparents were Govindrao Pawar and Shardabai Pawar.^[14] Shardabai was active in the Peasants and Workers Party (PWP). In 1938, she was elected unopposed to the Pune Local Board.^[14]

The couple had eleven children, including seven sons and four daughters.^[14] One of their sons, Sharad Pawar, later became the president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and served as the four-time Chief Minister of Maharashtra.^[14]

Following the footsteps of his uncle Sharad Pawar in the Indian National Congress,^[15] Ajit Pawar made his first foray into politics in 1982 when he was elected to the board of a cooperative sugar factory. In 1991, he was elected as the chairman of the Pune District Central Cooperative Bank and remained in the post for the next 16 years.^[16]

Political career

Pawar was elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time in 1991 from the Baramati Parliamentary constituency. He later vacated the seat for his uncle, who then became the Defence Minister in Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao's government.^[17] Pawar was known for his blunt and pragmatic leadership style, nicknamed "Ajit Dada".^[18][19]

Later, he was elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly seven times from the Baramati Assembly constituency. He first won in a 1991 by-election and subsequently retained it for five consecutive terms in 1995, 1999, 2004, 2009, and 2014.^[20][21][22] He served as the Minister of State for Agriculture and Power in CM Sudhakarrao Naik's government from 1991 to 1992.^[23]

He became the Minister of State for Soil Conservation, Power and Planning in 1992 when Sharad Pawar became the Chief Minister. In 1999, as part of the INC-NCP coalition government, he became a Cabinet Minister responsible for the Irrigation Department. He was additionally given the Rural Development Department in 2003 as part of Sushilkumar Shinde's cabinet.^[23] After the INC-NCP coalition won in the 2004 Assembly elections, he retained the Water Resources Ministry in Deshmukh's and later Ashok Chavan's cabinets.^[24]

Ajit Pawar has gained extensive experience in the administration of Maharashtra by working in various important positions. In particular, as Deputy Chief Minister, he played an important role in the administration of the state many times. As Finance Minister, he also had experience in handling the state budget. He also accelerated the implementation of many major projects while working in the Irrigation and Water Resources Department. This experience gave him a strong grip on the decision-making process in the administration and his ability to give impetus to development works is evident in his leadership.

Leader of Nationalist Congress Party

Rebellion against Sharad Pawar

On 23 November 2019, he defected from NCP and joined a government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party and became the Deputy Chief Minister.^[25][26] He submitted a paper with the signatures of NCP's MLAs to the Governor to prove the government's majority. However, the government collapsed less than 80 hours later and he resigned alongside then-CM Devendra Fadnavis. He subsequently returned to the NCP, and on 1 December 2019, it was announced that he would take over as Deputy CM for the Maha Vikas Aghadi government after the start of the winter session of the state legislature on 16 December.^[27]

In 2022, due to a split in the Shiv Sena, the Maha Vikas Aghadi government collapsed. After the rebel Shiv Sena faction and BJP formed a government with Eknath Shinde as CM, Pawar became the Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.^[28]

2023 party split

In 2023, having the support of the majority of the erstwhile NCP's MLAs, he also claimed the position of president of the NCP, as well as the party's name and its electoral symbol.^[29][30] Pawar joined the ruling Maha Yuti coalition and took the oath as deputy CM of the state on 2 July. On 7 February 2024, the Election Commission Of India (ECI) awarded the party name and symbol to the faction headed by Ajit. The faction led by Sharad Pawar will be henceforth known as Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar).^[31][30] Despite his faction being routed in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, his NCP placed in third in the 2024 Legislative Assembly election, with the Maha Yuti alliance forming a landslide majority government; Pawar was again sworn-in as deputy chief minister in December, tasked with portfolios such as finance. The party also performed well in the 2025–26 Maharashtra local elections. Months before his death, reconciliation talks between the two NCP parties were reportedly occurring.^[32][33] His wife, Rajya Sabha MP Sunetra Pawar, succeeded him as the deputy chief minister.

Death

On 28 January 2026, at approximately 08:44 IST (UTC+5:30), a business jet carrying Pawar on an air charter flight from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai to Baramati Airport in Maharashtra crashed while attempting a second approach to Baramati Airport Runway 11. The aircraft veered off the runway, burst into flames, and was destroyed on impact, resulting in the deaths of Pawar and four others on board.^{[34][35][36][37][38]}

The aircraft was a 16-year-old Learjet 45XR, registration VT-SSK, operated by VSR Aviation.^[39][40]

At the time of the incident, Pawar was travelling to Baramati to address multiple public meetings in connection with the upcoming Zilla Parishad elections.^[41] The Maharashtra government declared a three-day state of mourning following his death; his funeral was held in Baramati on 29 January, with full state honours. His body was cremated.^[42][43]

Electoral history

References

Explanatory notes

1. ^ Marathi: अजित अनन्तराव पवार

Citations

1. ^ "Not Accepted Happily: Sharad Pawar On Devendra Fadnavis's Number 2 Post". NDTV.com
2. ^ "In Ajit Pawar's Shock Switch, A Sharad Pawar Question Ahead of 2024". NDTV
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4. ^ "Six-time deputy, never the CM: 'CM in waiting' Ajit Pawar's long tryst with politics". MoneyControl. 5 December 2024.
5. ^ "Ajit Pawar new Opposition leader in Maharashtra assembly | India News". The Times of India. 4 July 2022.
6. ^ "'Ajit Pawar's Faction Is NCP': EC Directs Sharad Pawar To Claim A New Name". The Quint. 6 February 2024.
7. ^ "Ajit Pawar, the power broker who dominated Maharashtra politics". Maktoob Media. 28 January 2026.
8. ^ Agarwal, Rishika (28 January 2026). "Ajit Pawar dies at 66: How he shaped Maharashtra politics over the decades". Business Standard
9. ^ "Sharad Pawar To Supriya Sule: Ajit Pawar's Family Tree". NDTV. 29 January 2026.
10. ^ Singh, Anand (28 January 2026). "Will Ajit's wife Sunetra emerge as the new Pawar centre of NCP?". India Today
11. ^ Shaikh, Zeeshan (30 January 2026). "Sunetra Pawar: The reluctant politician set to carry forward husband Ajit Pawar's legacy". The Indian Express. Archived 30 January 2026 at the Wayback Machine.
12. ^ Kumar, Vivek (31 January 2026). "Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra takes oath as Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister". Archived 31 January 2026 at the Wayback Machine.
13. ^ "Who is Sunetra Pawar? A look at Ajit Pawar's wife, sons and family tree". Hindustan Times. 29 January 2026.
14. ^ Shaikh, Zeeshan (28 January 2026). "How Ajit Pawar reshaped the Pawar dynasty". The Indian Express
15. ^ "Ajit Pawar". NDTV. Archived 29 May 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
16. ^ "Ajit Pawar: 'Forever deputy CM' is ultimate survivor of churning in Maharashtra politics". The Economic Times. 5 December 2024. ISSN 0013-0389
17. ^ Kher, Swatee (30 September 2012). "The angry, young Pawar". The Indian Express
18. ^ https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/ajit-pawar-dies-ajit-pawar-plane-crash-baramati-witnessed-ajit-pawars-rise-and-tragic-end-10898798
19. ^ "Obituary: Ajit Pawar, the mercurial leader who stepped out of his uncle's shadow"
20. ^ "Baramati stays with Ajit Pawar". The Indian Express. 20 October 2014. Archived 12 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
21. ^ "Baramati Vidhan Sabha Chunav Results Live Updates: बारामती में 1,65,265 वोटों से जीते एनसीपी के अजित पवार, भाजपा प्रत्याशी को हराया" (in Hindi). India TV Hindi. 24 October 2019. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
22. ^ "Surprise, surprise: Devendra Fadnavis sworn in as Maharashtra CM, Ajit Pawar Dy CM". India Today. 23 November 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
23. ^ "Hon'ble Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra". maharashtrasadan.maharashtra.gov.in. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
24. ^ "People facing draft charges can join BJP and get clean, the party is 'washing machine' : Sharad Pawar". The New Indian Express. PTI. 7 March 2024. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
25. ^ Tirodkar, Amey (12 July 2023). "Tough times ahead for Sharad Pawar after BJP lures away Ajit Pawar in NCP split". Frontline. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
26. ^ "Ajit Pawar: पहाटेच्या शपथविधीपूर्वी काय घडलं होतं? अजित पवारांनी घटनाक्रम ..." [Ajit Pawar: What happened during oath ceremony at the dawn? timeline...]. Times Now Marathi. 5 July 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
27. ^ Marpakwar, Prafulla (2 December 2019). "Ajit Pawar to be deputy CM after winter session begins". The Times of India. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
28. ^ Vyas, Sharad (23 November 2019). "Devendra Fadnavis sworn in as Maharashtra Chief Minister after Ajit Pawar ditches uncle Sharad Pawar" (in en-IN). The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
29. ^ "Maharashtra NCP Ajit Pawar...". The Wire. Archived from the original on 7 July 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
30. ^ "A. Deputy... Maharashtra". The Hindu. 2 July 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
31. ^ "Sharad Pawar faction gets new name day after Ajit camp declared 'real' NCP". Express News service. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
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33. ^ "Who was Ajit Pawar, the Indian politician killed in plane crash?"
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35. ^ "Ajit Pawar's Flight Crash in Baramati dist Pune". CNN-News18. 28 January 2026. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
36. ^ "Ajit Pawar Passed Away: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister dies in plane crash near Baramati". Lokmat. 28 January 2026. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
37. ^ "Air charter crash in India's Maharashtra kills key state leader". Reuters. 28 January 2026. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
38. ^ "Ajit Anantrao Pawar (1959–2026): Former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Passes Away". Telugu Vaadi TV. 28 January 2025. Archived 28 January 2026 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
39. ^ "Ajit Pawar death news updates: Maharashtra deputy CM dies in Baramati crash, DGCA confirms". Hindustan Times. 28 January 2026. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
40. ^ "VT-SSK – Learjet 45XR". Flightradar24. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
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42. ^ "State mourning after Ajit Pawar dies in plane crash: Are banks in Maharashtra closed on Thursday?". The Times of India
43. ^ Ellis-Petersen, Hannah. "Veteran Indian politician Ajit Pawar dies in plane crash, leaving power vacuum". The Guardian
44. ^ https://eci.gov.in/files/file/4121-general-election-1991-vol-i-ii/?do=download&r=9764&confirm=1&t=1&csrfKey=6fdbcc3fe6a2e2fce996db3722892e72
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External links

• Official website