Pune, 29 January 2026: The last rites of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar were performed at Vidya Pratishtan ground in Baramati, with his sons Jay and Parth Pawar lighting the funeral pyre. The area witnessed an outpouring of grief as thousands of supporters gathered to bid him a final farewell.
The funeral was attended by several senior leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. Police personnel accorded a ceremonial guard of honour, while the city remained under tight security as the administration closely monitored the situation.
Ajit Pawar, 66, died yesterday in a plane crash in Baramati. He was travelling in a mid-size business jet that had departed from Mumbai at 8.10 am. Pawar was scheduled to address rallies for the upcoming rural local body elections. Four others also lost their lives in the crash.
The incident has sent shockwaves across Maharashtra, with leaders from across party lines expressing deep grief and calling his death a major loss to the state’s political leadership. Authorities are expected to probe the role of the flight operator and assess the condition of the Baramati airstrip as part of the investigation.