Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar cremated with full state honours

Amid a pall of grief and the rhythmic chant of “Ekach Wada, Ajit Dada”, Maharashtra on Thursday bade an emotional farewell to its deputy chief minister and finance minister Ajit Pawar, a towering figure whose sudden departure has left the state shaken.

The senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader was cremated with full state honours at the Vidya Pratishthan ground in Baramati, his political bastion, following a tragic aviation accident a day earlier that claimed his life and those of four others. He was 66.

As the funeral pyre was lit around noon by his eldest son, Parth Pawar, a sea of mourners — supporters, party workers and ordinary citizens — stood in silence, many in tears, before breaking into cries of “Ajit Dada Amar Rahe”. The air was heavy with loss, reverence and disbelief.

Earlier, thousands had streamed into his residence at Katewadi to pay their last respects, forming long queues that stretched through the village. From farmers to political colleagues, people from across Maharashtra came to honour a leader they remembered as decisive, accessible and fiercely committed to governance.

The funeral brought together a rare congregation of leaders cutting across party lines, a testament to Ajit Pawar’s formidable influence in state and national politics. Among those present were his uncle and NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, Union Home minister Amit Shah, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, Union minister Nitin Gadkari, Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant, former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and MNS chief Raj Thackeray.

Tributes poured in, painting a portrait of a “straight-talking” administrator with an iron grip on governance. “Whenever there was a hurdle, Dada’s one word was enough. We have lost our protective cover,” said a supporter, his voice trembling.

According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the fatal crash occurred on Wednesday morning. Ajit Pawar had left Mumbai at 8:10 am for a series of campaign engagements in Baramati taluka. Around 8:45 am, while attempting to land, the aircraft veered off the designated runway and burst into flames. There were no survivors.

Those who lost their lives alongside him were Captain Sumit Kapoor (pilot), Captain Shambhavi Pathak (co-pilot), Vidip Jadhav (personal security guard) and Pinky Mali (flight attendant).

The news of Ajit Pawar’s death sent shockwaves across the country. President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee were among those who expressed profound sorrow, remembering him as a leader deeply attuned to the concerns of farmers and the marginalised.

As the flames rose at Vidya Pratishthan and the chants slowly faded, Maharashtra was left confronting a deep political void. For the NCP — and for a state long shaped by Ajit Pawar’s presence — the road ahead now begins in the shadow of an irreplaceable loss.

With IANS inputs