Ajit Pawar Last Rites: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde met Sunetra Pawar, wife of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) MP Supriya Sule, his sister, in Baramati and paid their respects on Wednesday, January 28, 2026. Governor Acharya Devvrat was also present along with Fadnavis and Shinde.
Ajit Pawar and four others were killed Wednesday morning when the small aircraft carrying them crashed near Baramati in Pune district. The accident occurred around 9 a.m., shortly after the plane took off from Mumbai. Pawar was travelling to attend a public meeting amid the ongoing Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections. All five people on board — including Pawar, two security personnel, and two crew members — died in the crash.
Maharashtra CM Fadnavis announced a state holiday and three days of mourning across the state. During this period, the national flag will be flown at half-mast at all official buildings, and state government offices will remain closed on Wednesday. No government entertainment programmes will be held.
Addressing reporters, Fadnavis described Pawar’s death as a personal loss. “Ajit Dada was a hardworking leader and did not shake in any circumstances. It is a difficult day for Maharashtra. He had major contributions to the state’s development. His demise is shocking, and for me, it is a personal loss; a friend has left me,” he said.
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader’s last rites will be performed with full state honours. According to Kiran, trustee of Vidya Pratishthan, Pawar’s mortal remains will be kept at Vidya Pratishthan ground for the public to pay their respects on Wednesday, with the cremation scheduled for 11 a.m. on Thursday.
Ajit Pawar, the longest-serving deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, held the post six times under different governments, including those led by Prithviraj Chavan, Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray, and Eknath Shinde.