Maharashtra bids farewell to Ajit Pawar

Ajit Pawar’s mortal remains, wrapped in the national flag, were brought from his ancestral village, Katewadi, to the funeral venue in Baramati

Pune: Thousands of people gathered in Baramati on Thursday to bid farewell to Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, whose sudden death in a plane crash a day earlier plunged the state into mourning. Amid chants of “Ajit dada amar rahe” (long live Ajit dada), the 66-year-old Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief was laid to rest with full state honours at the Vidya Pratishthan college ground.

Pune, India. Jan 29, 2026 - Sunitra Pawar, pay her final respects at the last rites of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, held with full state honours at Vidya Prathishtan ground in Baramati, Pune district. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who tragically died when a plane crashed near Baramati Airport in Baramati city in Pune district, along with five others, on Jan 28, 2026. Pune, India. Jan 29, 2026. (Photo by Raju Shinde/HT Photo) (Raju Shinde)

Pawar’s sons, Parth and Jay, lit the funeral pyre as their mother, Sunetra Pawar, a Rajya Sabha member, stood by them, visibly shaken. The atmosphere was charged with emotion as Ajit Pawar’s mortal remains, wrapped in the national flag, were brought from his ancestral village, Katewadi, to the funeral venue.

Union home minister Amit Shah, road transport minister Nitin Gadkari, BJP president Nitin Nabin, minister of state for civil aviation Murlidhar Mohol and NCP founder Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar’s uncle, were among the senior leaders present. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and his deputy, Eknath Shinde, also attended the funeral at Baramati, the Pawar family’s hometown, around 100 km from Pune.

Ajit Pawar’s cousin and Baramati MP Supriya Sule stood beside Sunetra Pawar as she paid her last respects. NCP working president Praful Patel was also present. Through loudspeaker announcements, organisers appealed to the crowd to remain seated and maintain silence, describing discipline as the most fitting tribute to a leader known for his firm administrative style. As the pyre was lit, Sharad Pawar sat quietly, while Ajit Pawar’s younger brother, Prataprao Pawar, looked on.

Earlier in the day, several leaders, including Shah, Gadkari, Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde, union minister Ramdas Athawale, Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant, former union minister Sushilkumar Shinde, Maharashtra assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar and Andhra Pradesh minister Nara Lokesh, placed wreaths on Pawar’s mortal remains.

Members of the Pawar family, including Ajit’s brother Shriniwas Pawar and cousin Abhijit Pawar, also paid homage. Former chief ministers Ashok Chavan and Sushilkumar Shinde, Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal, senior leader Manikrao Thakare and actor Riteish Deshmukh were among those who attended the condolence ceremonies.

Earlier, Shiv Sena (UBT) president and former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray had visited Pawar’s residence in Katewadi to offer floral tributes.

On Thursday morning, Pawar’s mortal remains were taken from the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Hospital in Baramati, where they had been kept overnight, to his native village before the final rites. Pawar and four others were killed when the chartered aircraft they were travelling in crashed barely 200 metres from the tabletop airstrip.

Those who lost their lives in the accident included pilot Sumit Kapoor, who had logged over 15,000 flying hours, co-pilot Shambhavi Pathak, with around 1,500 hours of experience, Pawar’s personal security officer Vidip Jadhav, and flight attendant Pinky Mali. Their bodies have been handed over to their families.

Police have registered an accidental death report in connection with the crash. A government statement issued on Wednesday said the aircraft had initially gone around due to poor visibility and was later cleared to land, but did not provide a read-back to air traffic control before crashing and catching fire near the edge of the airstrip. The civil aviation ministry said on Thursday that the aircraft’s black box, including the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, has been recovered.