Ajit Pawar

Ajit Anantrao Pawar^[6] was born on 22 July 1959 in Deolali Pravara, Maharashtra,^[7][8] to Anantrao and Ashatai Pawar.^[9] In 1985,^[10] he married Sunetra Pawar (née Patil), the sister of Padamsinh Bajirao Patil, a senior NCP leader.^[11][12] The couple had two sons, Parth and Jay Pawar.^[13]

Pawar's grandparents were Govindrao Pawar and Shardabai Pawar.^[14] Shardabai was active in the Peasants and Workers Party (PWP). In 1938, she was elected unopposed to the Pune Local Board.^[14]

The couple had eleven children, including seven sons and four daughters.^[14] One of their sons, Sharad Pawar, later became the president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and served as the four-time Chief Minister of Maharashtra.^[14]

Following the footsteps of his uncle Sharad Pawar in the Indian National Congress,^[15] 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.^[16]

Pawar 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.^[17] Pawar was known for his blunt and pragmatic leadership style, nicknamed "Ajit Dada".^[18][19]

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.^[20][21][22] He served as the Minister of State for Agriculture and Power in CM Sudhakarrao Naik's government from 1991 to 1992.^[23]

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.^[23] 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.^[24]

Ajit Pawar has gained extensive experience in the administration of Maharashtra by working in various important positions. In particular, as Deputy Chief Minister, he played an important role in the administration of the state many times. As Finance Minister, he also had experience in handling the state budget. He also accelerated the implementation of many major projects while working in the Irrigation and Water Resources Department. This experience gave him a strong grip on the decision-making process in the administration and his ability to give impetus to development works is evident in his leadership.

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.^{[34][35][36][37][38]}

The aircraft was a 16-year-old Learjet 45XR, registration VT-SSK, operated by VSR Aviation.^[39][40]

At the time of the incident, Pawar was travelling to Baramati to address multiple public meetings in connection with the upcoming Zilla Parishad elections.^[41] The Maharashtra government declared a three-day state of mourning following his death; his funeral was held in Baramati on 29 January, with full state honours. His body was cremated.^[42][43]