&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "NCP split, early-morning swearing-in, longest-serving Deputy CM: Ajit Pawar, Maharashtra’s ‘Dada’ dies in plane crash")
Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar has died in a fatal plane crash on Wednesday (Jan 28). His chartered plane crashed at Baramati Airport during landing, around 8:45 AM. Born on July 22, 1959, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar was a part of one of the most famous political party in Maharashtra. Ajit's father, Anantrao Pawar, passed away when he was 18 years old. Since then, he grew under the aegis of his uncle the political veteran Sharad Pawar. Known popularly as ‘Dada’, Ajit Pawar holds the record for serving as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra for the most number of times, having been sworn into the office for six non-consecutive terms. Pawar is survived by his wife and two children.
Pawar's political entry
Ajit Pawar began his public life in 1982 when he was elected to the board of a sugar cooperative. His first electoral contest came in 1991 when he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Baramati. He vacated the seat after Sharad Pawar became defence minister in the Narasimha Rao government and shifted to state politics, winning the Baramati Assembly seat the same year. Since then, the seat became synonymous for three decades. His career was filled with political storms and he became the reason for the recent political split in NCP. He oversaw key portfolios such as irrigation, water resources and finance, emerging as a pivotal figure in shaping Maharashtra’s budgets and administrative decisions.
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NCP Split and Ajit Pawar's faction
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) underwent a major split in July 2023 when Ajit Pawar, along with a majority of party MLAs, broke away from his uncle and party founder, Sharad Pawar, to join the BJP-Shiv Sena Mahayuti government. NCP was founded in 1999 but the 2023 split marked a new ‘Pawar-play’ in Maharashtra politics. In a successful legal battle, Ajit Pawar won his uncle's party's name and symbol, and the Sharad Pawar faction was given a new name and symbol. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Ajit Pawar's party won just one seat, but the Sharad Pawar faction scored eight. In the Maharashtra Assembly polls last year, Ajit Pawar's party won 41 and Sharad Pawar's faction managed just 10. Shortly before his death, the two factions had begun showing signs of rapprochement, releasing a unified manifesto for the January 2026 municipal elections in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.
A significant incident in Ajit Pawar's political career was in November 2019, after the Mahayuti, which was the alliance of BJP and Shiv Sena at that time. He stitched a closed-door deal with BJP amid feud between BJP and Shiv Sena, and to the surprise of all, sworn in as deputy chief minister alongside Fadnavis as chief minister. Though the government lasted just 80 hours, and Pawar faced humiliation as he unable to get support from legislators, this incident marked as a infamous incident of his career.
Also Read: Just an hour before fatal plane crash, Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar posted THIS on social media
Ajit Pawar's family
Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra Pawar (married in 1985),is a Rajya Sabha MP and sister of former Maharashtra minister Padamsinh Patil. His son Parth Pawar, entered politics and contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from the Maval constituency and younger son Jay Pawar is a businessman who recently married Rutuja Patil. His father Anantrao Pawar, the elder brother of Sharad Pawar, worked at Rajkamal Studios in Mumbai. His brother Shrinivas Pawar is a businessman involved in the agriculture and automobile sectors. His sister Vijaya Patil (died in 2017), was involved in the media industry. His cousin Supriya Sule, daughter of Sharad Pawar and a Member of Parliament (MP) from Baramati. His grandnephew Rohit Pawar, is an MLA from Karjat-Jamkhed and grandson of Sharad Pawar’s brother Dinkarrao.
How the plane crash happened
The plane carrying Ajit Pawar departed arrived at Baramati Airport around 8:45 AM. According to reports, the DGCA said that aircraft encountered "severe technical difficulties and instability" during its final approach, despite having clearance to fly. According to eyewitnesses quoted in several reports, the aircraft was making "a lot of noise" before it slid off the runway at the threshold, veered into an adjoining field, and suffered a massive explosion. Some reports also said that the aircraft was on its second landing approach when the pilot lost control.
