Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has died in a plane crash at Maharashtra’s Baramati this morning. The Civil Aviation Ministry informed that a Learjet 45 (VT-SSK) aircraft, operated by VSR, crash-landed at Baramati airport earlier today. The Ministry added that there were five personnel on board, including the Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister, two more personnel and two crew members. Officials said that no one on board survived the crash.
The final rites of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar will be held tomorrow in Baramati in Pune district with full state honours. Governor of Maharashtra, Acharya Devvrat, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde visited Baramati and paid their last respects to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. They also met Ajit Pawar’s wife, Sunetra Pawar and cousin Supriya Sule.
Ajit Pawar will be cremated with full state honours at the Vidya Pratishthan ground tomorrow at 11 AM. Following this tragic incident, the state government has declared a state mourning of 3 days. Spanning a career of almost four decades, Ajit Pawar was Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra six times. He handled various ministries, including the Finance portfolio and presented the state budget 11 times. He was actively associated with several institutions and organisations in the cooperative and sports sectors in the state.
He served as the Chairman of the Pune District Central Cooperative Bank for 16 years. He was also the long-serving President of the Maharashtra State Olympic Association, Maharashtra Kho-Kho and Kabaddi Association. Condolences continue to pour in for Maharashtra’s ‘Dada’, known for his outright speaking style, timeliness, strong hold over governance and close connection with the people.
