Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was laid to rest with full state honors on Thursday at the Vidya Pratishthan ground in Baramati, his long-standing political base. The ceremony followed his death in a plane crash on Wednesday, an incident that has sent shockwaves through the state’s political landscape.
Large crowds gathered at the venue as the funeral procession reached Baramati. The last rites were performed by his sons, Jay Pawar and Parth Pawar, who lit the funeral pyre amid solemn observances. Supporters raised slogans in his memory, reflecting his enduring influence in the region.
Political Leadership Pays Last Respects
Several senior leaders cutting across party lines attended the funeral. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, and Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar were present. Senior Congress leader Sushil Kumar Shinde and his daughter, Praniti Shinde, also attended, along with actor Riteish Deshmukh.
Ajit Pawar’s wife, Sunetra Pawar, and close family members, including his nephew Rohit Pawar, remained present throughout the ceremony. The gathering underscored the stature he held in Maharashtra politics and the personal relationships he maintained across parties.
Long Political Career Rooted in Baramati
Born on July 22, 1959, in Deolali Pravara in Ahmednagar district, Ajit Pawar began his public life in cooperative institutions, working with milk unions, sugar factories, cooperative societies, and banks. He entered electoral politics in the early 1990s and was elected to the Lok Sabha from Baramati in 1991 before stepping aside to allow Sharad Pawar to contest the seat.
He went on to build a long career in state politics, becoming Maharashtra’s longest-serving Deputy Chief Minister, holding the post non-consecutively for six terms. He served under multiple administrations, including those led by Prithviraj Chavan, Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray, and Eknath Shinde, and handled several key ministerial portfolios over the years.
State Mourning After Plane Crash
Ajit Pawar’s death in the plane crash also claimed the lives of five others. The state government announced three days of mourning, with national flags flown at half-mast on government buildings. Details related to the crash were earlier confirmed by aviation authorities and reported in the DGCA update on the Baramati crash, which outlined the circumstances surrounding the incident.
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