Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash on Wednesday morning. His plane crashed while attempting to land at Baramati airport in Pune district. He is survived by his wife Sunetra Pawar, and their two sons, Parth Pawar and Jay Pawar, both of whom have remained in public attention at different points but followed largely different paths despite sharing the Pawar political lineage.
Who is Parth Pawar?
Parth Pawar, the elder son of Ajit Pawar, stepped briefly into electoral politics in 2019 when he contested the Lok Sabha election from the Maval constituency. His entry drew significant attention at the time, given the Pawar family’s long-standing dominance in Maharashtra politics. However, Parth lost the election by a wide margin, and the defeat marked the end of his political ambitions.
Since then, Parth has kept a low public profile and has not held any elected position or formal party role. In the years that followed, he has largely stayed away from political activity, making only occasional public appearances.
(Also Read: Ajit Pawar death news updates)
Who is Jay Pawar?
Ajit Pawar’s younger son, Jay Pawar, has remained even further removed from electoral politics. He is believed to be involved in business interests and splits his time between Mumbai and Baramati.
{{/usCountry}}Ajit Pawar’s younger son, Jay Pawar, has remained even further removed from electoral politics. He is believed to be involved in business interests and splits his time between Mumbai and Baramati.
{{/usCountry}}Unlike his elder brother, Jay has never contested an election or formally entered political life. While he has been seen supporting family members during campaigns and major public events, he has avoided sustained political engagement.
Notably, Jay Pawar recently married Rutuja Patil in Bahrain. Rutuja is a Bachelor of Design graduate from Los Angeles and previously worked briefly at public relations firm Adfactors PR before joining her father, Pravin Patil’s consultancy, ElevateEdge Consulting Group. Patil is also associated with a social media firm that played an active role in Ajit Pawar and Sunetra Pawar’s election campaigns during last year’s Lok Sabha and Assembly polls.
(Also Read: Ajit Pawar’s last tweet at 8:57 am, shortly before Maharashtra deputy CM’s fatal plane crash)
Ajit Pawar plane crash
Ajit Pawar, 66, was killed on Wednesday after his plane crashed in Maharashtra’s Baramati. The Learjet 45, flying from Mumbai to Pawar's hometown, exploded after it went on the side of the runway and crashed, killing all five people on board. Besides Ajit Pawar, the victims included his personal security officer Vidhit Jadhav, flight attendant Pinki Jadhav, and pilots Sumit Kapur and Shambhavi Pathak.
The crash occurred around 8.48 am, prompting immediate deployment of investigation teams from the DGCA and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau. The Maharashtra government has announced three days of state mourning.