Ajit Pawar

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 Ajit Anantrao Pawar, a towering figure in Maharashtra politics, left an indelible mark on the state's landscape until his passing in 2026. He served as Maharashtra's longest-serving deputy chief minister, a testament to his enduring influence, holding the prestigious office for an impressive six terms. His leadership graced the cabinets of Prithviraj Chavan, Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray, and Eknath Shinde, showcasing his ability to navigate diverse political alliances. Beyond his deputy chief minister roles, Pawar also distinguished himself as the leader of the opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from 2022 to 2023, a period of significant political maneuvering. His political journey began with a Lok Sabha representation from the Baramati constituency in 1991, setting the stage for a career defined by ambition and dedication. His lineage was steeped in public service. Ajit Pawar's grandparents, Govindrao and Sharda Pawar, were active in the cooperative movement and agriculture in Baramati. Sharda Pawar, a visionary in her own right, was elected to the Pune local board in 1938. Their family, a large one with eleven children, included Sharad Pawar, who would go on to become a national political force as the president of the Nationalist Congress Party and a four-time chief minister of Maharashtra. Born on July 22, 1959, in Deolali Pravara, Maharashtra, Ajit Anantrao Pawar entered a world of political legacy. His father, Anantrao Pawar, passed away when Ajit was just eighteen. He was joined in his family by his brother, Shriniwas, and sister, Vijaya. In 1985, he married Sunetra Pawar, the daughter of former Maharashtra minister Padamsinh Bajirao Patil, forging a union that would become a cornerstone of his personal and political life. Following in the footsteps of his influential uncle, Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar embarked on his political career in 1982, beginning his public service with an election to the board of a cooperative sugar factory. His commitment to the cooperative sector deepened in 1991 when he became the chairman of the Pune District Central Cooperative Bank, a position he held with distinction for sixteen years. His parliamentary debut came in 1991, representing the Baramati Lok Sabha constituency. He later made the significant decision to vacate this seat for his uncle, enabling Sharad Pawar to serve as the Defence Minister in Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao's government. Known for his direct and pragmatic approach, Ajit Pawar earned the affectionate moniker "Ajit Dada." His electoral success continued as he was elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly seven times from the Baramati Assembly constituency. His first win in a 1991 by-election was followed by an unbroken string of victories in 1995, 1999, 2004, 2009, and 2014. His early ministerial roles included Minister of State for Agriculture and Power from 1991 to 1992, and later Minister of State for Soil Conservation, Power, and Planning in 1992. In 1999, as part of the INC-NCP coalition, he ascended to Cabinet Minister, taking charge of the Irrigation Department. His responsibilities expanded in 2003 with the addition of the Rural Development Department. Following the coalition's victory in the 2004 Assembly elections, he retained the crucial Water Resources Ministry, serving under Chief Ministers Deshmukh and Ashok Chavan. During his tenure as water resources minister, allegations surfaced regarding his alleged role in the development of Lavasa, a project often described as a "vision of Sharad Pawar." The Maharashtra Krishna Valley Development Corporation (MKVDC) leased a substantial portion of land to Lavasa at rates significantly below market value, sparking scrutiny. Further controversy arose in September 2012 with accusations of misappropriation amounting to Rs. 70,000 crores, brought forth by bureaucrat Vijay Pandhare. This led anti-corruption activist Anjali Damania to demand his resignation. Despite the gravity of these claims, they were not substantiated, and Ajit Pawar was reinstated as the Deputy CM of Maharashtra. A particularly contentious moment occurred on April 7, 2013, when a statement made in Indapur during a drought response drew widespread criticism. In response to activists protesting the government's water scarcity measures, he posed a rhetorical question about whether he should "urinate into [the dam]" to augment its water levels. The public outcry was immediate, and he later issued a public apology, calling it the "biggest mistake of [his] life." More recently, in May 2024, a phone call to the Pune Police Commissioner following a fatal Porsche crash involving a minor accused of being under the influence of alcohol drew attention. Reports suggested Pawar urged the police to handle the case with leniency. While Pawar did not deny the call, he framed it as an effort to ensure the police were not subjected to undue pressure, portraying it as routine oversight rather than interference. He also dismissed the allegations as baseless. Ajit Pawar's leadership within the Nationalist Congress Party was marked by significant developments. On November 23, 2019, he made a notable shift, defecting from the NCP to join a government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party and assuming the role of Deputy Chief Minister. He presented signatures of NCP MLAs to the Governor, asserting the government's majority. However, this administration proved short-lived, collapsing within 80 hours, leading to his resignation alongside then-CM Devendra Fadnavis. He subsequently rejoined the NCP, and on December 1, 2019, it was announced he would once again serve as Deputy CM for the Maha Vikas Aghadi government. The political landscape shifted in 2022 with a split in the Shiv Sena, leading to the collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government. Following the formation of a new government by the rebel Shiv Sena faction and the BJP, with Eknath Shinde as Chief Minister, Pawar assumed the position of Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. A significant party split occurred in 2023. With the backing of a majority of NCP MLAs, Ajit Pawar claimed leadership of the party, its name, and its electoral symbol. He joined the ruling Maha Yuti coalition and was sworn in as deputy CM on July 2. On February 7, 2024, the Election Commission of India recognized his faction as the legitimate NCP, with Sharad Pawar's faction subsequently known as Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar). Despite his faction's performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, his NCP secured third place in the 2024 Legislative Assembly election, contributing to the Maha Yuti alliance's landslide victory. He was again sworn in as deputy chief minister in December, taking charge of key portfolios like finance. His party also achieved success in the 2025–26 Maharashtra local elections. In the months leading up to his death, reconciliation talks between the two NCP factions were reportedly underway. Tragically, Ajit Anantrao Pawar's life was cut short on January 28, 2026. At approximately 08:44 IST, a business jet carrying him from Mumbai to Baramati crashed while attempting a second approach to Baramati Airport. The aircraft veered off the runway, burst into flames, and was destroyed, resulting in the deaths of Pawar and four others on board. The aircraft, a 16-year-old Learjet 45XR, was operated by VSR Aviation. Pawar was en route to Baramati to address public meetings in connection with the upcoming Zilla Parishad elections. In the wake of his death, the Maharashtra government declared a three-day state of mourning. His funeral was held in Baramati on January 29, with full state honours, and his body was cremated.
Ajit_Pawar

Full Wikipedia Article

 Ajit Anantrao Pawar (22 July 1959 – 28 January 2026) was an Indian politician who served as Maharashtra's longest-serving deputy chief minister until his death in 2026. He held the office for six terms under various governments including the cabinets of Prithviraj Chavan, Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray, and Eknath Shinde. 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. == Ancestry == Pawar's grandparents were Govindrao and Sharda Pawar. Govindrao was associated with worker cooperatives in Baramati, while Sharda managed the family farm. In 1938, she was elected to the Pune local board. The couple had eleven children, including seven sons and four daughters; one of their sons, named Sharad Pawar, later became the president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and a four-time chief minister of Maharashtra. == Early life == Ajit Anantrao Pawar was born on 22 July 1959 in Deolali Pravara, Maharashtra, to Anantrao and Ashatai Pawar. His father died when he was eighteen years old. He had a brother named Shriniwas and a sister named Vijaya. In 1985, he married Sunetra Pawar (née Patil), the daughter of Padamsinh Bajirao Patil, a former minister in Maharashtra. Following the footsteps of his uncle Sharad Pawar in Indian National Congress, 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. == Political career == He 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. Pawar was known for his blunt and pragmatic leadership style, nicknamed "Ajit Dada". 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. He served as the Minister of State for Agriculture and Power in CM Sudhakarrao Naik's government from 1991 to 1992. 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. 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. There were allegations that, as the minister for water resources, he helped the development of Lavasa, a project touted as a "vision of Sharad Pawar". The Maharashtra Krishna Valley Development Corporation (MKVDC) leased 141.15 ha (348.8 acres) to Lavasa in August 2002, which included part of the Warasgaon dam reservoir. The lease between MKVDC and Lavasa was executed at rates far below the market rate. In September 2012, there were accusations that there had been misappropriation to the tune of Rs. 70,000 crores. These allegations were made by the Maharashtra bureaucrat Vijay Pandhare, and caused the anti-corruption activist Anjali Damania to demand Pawar's resignation as a minister. However, the allegations were not proved, and Ajit was reinstated as the Deputy CM of Maharashtra. On 7 April 2013, Pawar's statement at a speech in Indapur sparked controversy due to its alleged callousness. In response to a 55-day fast by activists protesting the Maharashtra government's inability to provide water during a drought, he asked whether he should "urinate into [the dam]" to make up for the lack of water in it. After a public outcry against his statement, he publicly apologised, saying that the comment was the "biggest mistake of [his] life". According to reports, Ajit Pawar made a phone call to the Pune Police Commissioner on 19 May 2024, after Vedant Agarwal (son of Vishal Agarwal, owner of Brahma Realty & Infrastructure), then 17 and allegedly drunk, crashed a luxury Porsche in Pune's Kalyani Nagar, killing two IT professionals on a motorbike. Pawar allegedly urged the police not to harshly pursue the case against the minor accused. This was widely described as political pressure. Pawar did not deny calling the police commissioner, but said it was to ensure the police did not face other pressures, portraying it as routine oversight by a guardian minister rather than interference. Pawar also described the allegations as baseless. == 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. 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. 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. === 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. 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). 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. == 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. The aircraft was a 16-year-old Learjet 45XR, registration VT-SSK, operated by VSR Aviation. At the time of the incident, Pawar was travelling to Baramati to address multiple public meetings in connection with the upcoming Zilla Parishad elections. The Maharashtra government declared a three-day state of mourning following his death; his funeral was held in Baramati on January 29, with full state honours. His body was cremated. == Electoral history == == References == === Explanatory notes === === Citations === == External links == Official website Home Languages