Chants of "Ajit Dada Amar Rahe" filled the Vidya Pratishthan college ground in Baramati on Thursday as Maharashtra bid farewell to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. Several political leaders and family members of Pawar attended the funeral.
Pawar's sons, Parth and Jay, lit the funeral pyre in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP president Nitin Nabin, and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Sharad Pawar, the uncle of Ajit Pawar, was also present at the time of cremation. Follow for live updates on Ajit Pawar funeral
Ritesh Deshmukh mourns Ajit Pawar's death
Actor Ritesh Deshmukh was also seen attending the last rites of the Deputy CM, news agency ANI reported. Deshmkh, who was close to Pawar, also took to social media to mourn his death. "One of Maharashtra’s most dynamic leaders, he had zero tolerance for non-performance and constantly pushed and inspired those around him to excel,” Deshmukh wrote on X.
{{/usCountry}}Actor Ritesh Deshmukh was also seen attending the last rites of the Deputy CM, news agency ANI reported. Deshmkh, who was close to Pawar, also took to social media to mourn his death. "One of Maharashtra’s most dynamic leaders, he had zero tolerance for non-performance and constantly pushed and inspired those around him to excel,” Deshmukh wrote on X.
{{/usCountry}}Recalling his interactions with Pawar, Deshmukh wrote that he had interacted with Pawar numerous times and “will always remember the kindness he showered upon me.”
Ajit Pawar's cousin, Supriya Sule, the NCP (SP) Lok Sabha member from Baramati, stood with his wife Sunetra Pawar, who is a Rajya Sabha member. NCP working president and former Union minister Praful Patel was also present.
Union ministers Amit Shah and Nitin Gadkari also attended
Among the political stalwarts, Union ministers Amit Shah and Nitin Gadkari attended the funeral, along with BJP president Nitin Nabin, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union minister Ramdas Athawale.
Goa CM Pramod Sawant, Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, state assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar, former Union minister Sushilkumar Shinde, and Andhra Pradesh minister Nara Lokesh were among the leaders who placed floral wreaths on Pawar's mortal remains.
Also read: Ajit's jet crashes after chilling last call, SC probe sought; Sharad Pawar says 'no politics'
Ajit Pawar's younger brother Shriniwas Pawar, sisters and other family members, including cousin Abhijit Pawar, also paid tributes to their late brother. Former CM Ashok Chavan, state Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal and party leader Manikrao Thakare also paid homage.
Pawar, along with four other person were killed after their aircraft crashed barely 200 metres from the edge og the tabletop airstrip in Baramati.
The others killed in the tragedy were Captain Sumit Kapoor, co-pilot Capt Shambhavi Pathak, Personal Security Officer Vidip Jadhav and flight attendant Pinky Mali.