Ajit Pawar Dies In Baramati Plane Crash At 66

Baramati, a town nestled in Maharashtra’s Pune district, is no stranger to political drama. Yet on the morning of January 28, 2026, it witnessed a tragedy that stunned not just its residents but the entire state: Ajit Pawar, Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister and chief of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), died in a plane crash at age 66. For a region so closely tied to the Pawar dynasty, the irony was inescapable—the very place that had fueled Ajit’s meteoric rise also became the site of his untimely end.

Ajit Pawar’s political journey was nothing short of remarkable. Born on July 22, 1959, in Deolali Pravara, Ahmednagar district, he was the son of Anantrao Pawar (Sharad Pawar’s younger brother) and Ashatai Pawar, who preferred to stay away from the political limelight. While his father dedicated his life to agriculture and social service, Ajit’s destiny lay in the rough-and-tumble of Maharashtra’s political landscape, a path carved under the formidable shadow of his uncle, Sharad Pawar—the founder of the NCP and a towering figure in Indian politics.

Ajit’s foray into public life began in the late 1980s, when he was elected to the board of a cooperative sugar factory in Baramati and the Pune District Central Cooperative Bank. His deep involvement in cooperative institutions—milk unions, sugar factories, and rural banks—helped him grasp the pulse of rural Maharashtra and build a loyal support base. According to The Federal, Ajit’s grassroots engagement earned him the affectionate moniker “Ajit Dada,” a testament to his tireless work ethic and connection to ordinary people.

His formal political ascent started in 1991, when he was elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from Baramati—a seat he would never lose in his lifetime. Initially contesting on a Congress ticket, Ajit switched to the NCP after its formation in 1999. Over the years, he held a slew of crucial portfolios: finance, water resources, power, and rural development, among others. Colleagues and rivals alike acknowledged his administrative acumen and discipline. As Arvind Sawant of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) recalled, “If he said yes to a task, he would go to any length to fulfil it. But if he said no, it meant that work can't be and won’t be done; he would be very clear about it.”

Yet, Ajit Pawar’s career was not without controversy. Allegations of graft—most notably regarding irrigation projects and cooperative banks—dogged him for years. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi once leveled serious accusations of financial misconduct, though, as The Federal noted, these criticisms faded after Ajit aligned his faction with the BJP-led government in Maharashtra. Despite the scandals, Ajit’s reputation as an able administrator was rarely in dispute. He was a workaholic, often starting his day at 5:30 a.m. and working late into the night, as many journalists and bureaucrats observed firsthand.

The Pawar family’s political saga is legendary in Maharashtra. Baramati has been their stronghold since 1967, first under Sharad Pawar and, from 1991, under Ajit. The family’s influence reached a dramatic turning point during the 2023 NCP split. Ajit, once considered a perpetual chief minister-in-waiting, finally broke ranks with his uncle in July 2023, forming his own NCP faction and joining forces with the BJP. This move, which followed an earlier failed coup in 2022, redefined power dynamics within the party and the state. As The Times of India reported, Ajit’s break was seen by Sharad Pawar’s camp as a betrayal, especially given Sharad’s advanced age and the emotional appeals made during the campaign.

Baramati became the main stage for this family drama. In the November 2024 assembly election, Ajit faced a formidable challenge from his grandnephew Yugendra Pawar, the NCP (SP) candidate backed by Sharad Pawar. The contest was deeply personal, with accusations of family alienation and betrayal flying on both sides. Ultimately, Ajit triumphed by a resounding margin of 100,899 votes, cementing his dominance in Baramati and, symbolically, within the Pawar legacy. His wife, Sunetra Pawar—a Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament since 2024—credited Baramati’s voters for their loyalty: “Baramatikars have shown that they are Dada’s true family.”

The Pawar family tree is as intricate as their political maneuvering. Ajit’s wife, Sunetra, has emerged as a political force in her own right, operating independently and building her own organizational base. Their son, Parth Pawar, entered politics by contesting the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Maval on an NCP ticket but, after defeat, retreated from frontline politics. Ajit’s daughter, Rutuja (now Rutuja Patil), has chosen a private life away from the political fray. The family’s influence extends to his cousin, Supriya Sule, Sharad Pawar’s daughter and a prominent NCP leader in national politics. While Ajit and Supriya occupied separate roles—Ajit in the state, Supriya at the center—their leadership styles and ambitions often intersected and, at times, collided. Notably, Ajit fielded Sunetra against Supriya in a Lok Sabha contest; Supriya won decisively, prompting Ajit to briefly declare he would not contest Baramati again, only to later reverse his decision and secure victory in the assembly polls.

Despite the public rifts and political rivalry, Ajit maintained family ties. As The Federal observed, he continued to publicly revere Sharad Pawar as his mentor and Supriya as his dear sister, even as he charted his own path with the BJP. The two NCP factions, despite their legal and political battles—including a Supreme Court case over the party symbol—occasionally joined forces, such as in the Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal corporation elections, though with little electoral success.

Ajit’s death leaves a gaping void in Maharashtra politics. The Maharashtra government declared three days of state mourning, and condolences poured in from across the political spectrum. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde described the loss as a "mountainous calamity," while Supriya Sule posted a single word on X: “Devastated.” Senior Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi also paid tribute to a leader who, for all his controversies, was respected—even feared—for his effectiveness and resolve.

For nearly four decades, Ajit Pawar was a fixture in Maharashtra’s corridors of power, his influence extending from the sugarcane fields of Baramati to the marble halls of the state assembly. He was, as many have observed, the best chief minister Maharashtra never had—a perpetual CM-in-waiting whose legacy will be debated for years. With his passing, both NCP factions face an uncertain future. In Baramati, the town that made him and ultimately took him, the sense of loss is deeply personal. The political landscape of Maharashtra, shaped so profoundly by the Pawar family, now stands at a crossroads, its next chapter unwritten.