Ajit Dada leaves lasting impression on city he helped shape over more than 30 years

While Baramati remained the political base that nurtured Pawar’s rise, Pimpri-Chinchwad was the city where his development-driven politics found its most visible expression

Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, who died in a tragic plane crash on Wednesday, leaves behind an indelible imprint on Pimpri-Chinchwad—one of the state’s most prominent industrial and urban centres that he helped shape over more than three decades of public life.

For years, Pimpri-Chinchwad’s poor roads, limited water supply, absence of flyovers, insufficient healthcare facilities and fewer educational institutions forced many residents to live in Pune while working or running businesses in the twin city. (HT)

While Baramati remained the political base that nurtured Pawar’s rise, Pimpri-Chinchwad was the city where his development-driven politics found its most visible expression. Once known largely as an industrial estate with limited civic amenities, the twin city underwent a steady transformation under Pawar’s influence, particularly during periods when he held key portfolios in the state government and exercised authority over the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC).

For years, Pimpri-Chinchwad’s poor roads, limited water supply, absence of flyovers, insufficient healthcare facilities and fewer educational institutions forced many residents to live in Pune while working or running businesses in the twin city. After becoming a member of Parliament (MP) in 1991 and later assuming senior ministerial roles, Pawar identified this imbalance as a major urban challenge and pushed for sustained public investment to make Pimpri-Chinchwad liveable and self-sufficient.

According to officials, when the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) was in power in the PCMC between 1992 and 2017, large-scale development works were undertaken under Pawar’s guidance without resorting to loans or accumulating debt—an achievement Pawar often cited as a model for urban governance. The Pimpri-Chinchwad metro project was approved and extended up to Nigdi with an additional station added later. The Pimpri-Chinchwad police Commissionerate was also approved during Pawar’s tenure as deputy chief minister. Perhaps the most transformative decision associated with Pawar’s leadership was facilitating the development of the Hinjewadi IT Park. With support from Sharad Pawar, the then president of the undivided NCP, what began as a planned IT zone evolved into a major technology hub, generating employment for lakhs of professionals and fundamentally altering the economic profile of Pimpri-Chinchwad.

Politically, PCMC was long regarded as an NCP stronghold, with Ajit Pawar exercising direct and indirect influence over funding decisions, administrative approvals and major civic projects. Several corporators, mayors and local leaders rose under his mentorship, shaping the city’s political trajectory for years. But his efforts to reassert dominance in the city faced a setback in the 2026 civic elections, when the Bharatiya Janata Party emerged as the single largest party with 84 seats. The NCP led by Ajit Pawar won 37 seats—only one more than its tally in 2017—while the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena failed to open their account.

BJP MLA from Chinchwad, Shankar Jagtap, said that Ajit Pawar shared a long and continuous bond with the city. “From 1992 till today, Ajit Dada had a deep association with Pimpri-Chinchwad. It would not be wrong to say that he was the true architect of the city’s foundation, progress and development,” Jagtap said. Shankar Jagtap recalled that his elder brother, late MLA Laxmanbhau Jagtap, worked closely with Pawar for nearly three decades. “Both worked tirelessly to transform Pimpri-Chinchwad. The void created by their passing is deeply painful,” he said. Shankar Jagtap added that leaders like Pawar—decisive and action-oriented—are rare. “A leader like him cannot be replaced. Every worker, leader and office-bearer in this city shared a personal bond with him. He worked with everyone, setting aside political differences. The void created by his departure can never be filled,” Shankar Jagtap said.

BJP MLA from Bhosari, Mahesh Landge, described Pawar’s death as ‘deeply shocking and heartbreaking’. “Ajit Dada was a dynamic leader with an extraordinary capacity for work. With his passing, the state has lost a resolute and people-oriented leader who began addressing public issues as early as six in the morning,” Landge said.

Despite shifting political equations, Ajit Pawar’s imprint on Pimpri-Chinchwad’s growth remains unmistakable. From an industrial township dependent on Pune, the city evolved into a major urban and employment hub under his leadership, leaving behind a legacy that continues to shape its present and future.