Baramati, January 29, 2026 – Ajit Pawar, the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, was cremated with full state honors today in his hometown of Baramati, Pune. The cremation took place at the Vidya Pratishthan ground, an educational institution founded by the Pawar family, in the presence of thousands of supporters, party workers, and high-ranking officials. His sons, Jay and Parth Pawar, lit the funeral pyre.
The tragic death of the 66-year-old leader occurred on Wednesday morning when a chartered aircraft carrying him and four others crashed near the Baramati airport. The aircraft, a Bombardier Learjet 45, was attempting to land in poor visibility conditions when it crashed, killing all five people on board. Preliminary reports from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) suggest that the pilots struggled with dense fog, and the aircraft crashed during its second landing attempt after an initial "go-around" failed. Besides Ajit Pawar, the crash claimed the lives of his personal security officer Vidip Jadhav, flight attendant Pinky Mali, pilot Captain Sumit Kapoor, and co-pilot Captain Shambhavi Pathak. Postmortem examinations have been completed, and the bodies have been handed over to their families.
The news of Ajit Pawar's sudden demise has sent shockwaves across Maharashtra's political landscape. A three-day state mourning period has been declared by the Maharashtra government.
Earlier today, the mortal remains of Ajit Pawar were taken from the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Government Medical College in Baramati in a flower-decorated vehicle bearing his image and the message "Swargiya Ajitdada Pawar amar rahein" (Long live Ajit Dada Pawar). The procession commenced at 9 am from the Vidya Pratishthan campus, passing through Baramati to allow the public to pay their respects. Large crowds of mourners gathered, chanting slogans such as "Ajit Dada amar rahe" (Long live Ajit Dada). Due to the massive crowds, the funeral procession was altered to proceed directly to Vidya Pratishthan, foregoing the planned route through Baramati city.
Several prominent leaders attended the funeral to pay their respects, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP chief Nitin Nabin, and NCP patriarch Sharad Pawar. Sharad Pawar expressed his grief, stating that the loss to Maharashtra is immense and that there was no conspiracy involved in the accident, appealing to everyone not to politicize the tragedy. Supriya Sule, Sharad Pawar's daughter and NCP (SP)'s Lok Sabha MP, was seen grieving along with Ajit Pawar's wife, Sunetra Pawar.
Ajit Pawar's political career spanned over three decades, beginning in 1982. He served as a Member of Parliament, Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), Minister of State for various government departments, and Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra multiple times. He was known for his strong leadership, development initiatives in agriculture and water resources, and his ability to forge coalitions between different political parties. He won the Baramati Assembly seat multiple times, demonstrating exceptional loyalty from his constituents. He was widely regarded as an influential leader in western Maharashtra.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has initiated a forensic investigation to determine the cause of the crash.
