Ajit Pawar: Long political life marked by drama, rebellions, and scams

A man who had felt sidelined and wronged by his own family patriarch, and who had tied over struggles to maintain his political position

Baramati mourns the untimely and sudden death of its son. One of the strongest political pillars of the Pawar fortress is lost today (January 28, 2026), leaving behind him a party which will likely be on the brink of turmoil amid speculations of the reunification of Pawar family. The unfortunate and tragic demise happened in his home constituency of Baramati which had voted him to power for eight consecutive terms, the last one against his own uncle Sharad Pawar’s might after the Nationalist Congress Party’s vertical split in 2023.

Ajit Pawar dead in Baramati flight crash: Follow LIVE updates on January 28, 2026

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Ajit Anantrao Pawar, 66, died in a plane crash on Wednesday (January 28, 2026) morning.

Nephew of Sharad Pawar, cousin of MP Supriya Sule, he is survived by his mother Ashatai Pawar, wife and Rajya Sabha MP Sunetratai Pawar, sons Parth and Jay Pawar. A deeply personal man, he was not known to have many personal friends or a life apart from a highly disciplined public life. In fact, when a clip of him shaking a leg during his son Jay’s wedding in Bahrain went viral recently, he wasn’t very keen to talk about it. He did not like engaging with the media as much, even as his rustic comments, straight talk and comic sense would make it to headlines. These comments and comebacks endeared him to his electorate, made his reels go viral among youth, earned him a following on the social media. They also made him controversial, drawing ire for insensitivity at times, like his old comment at a farmers’ rally during drought when there was no water in the dams.

He learnt the the ropes of politics from his uncle Sharad Pawar. His politics was defined, and probably even limited by Sharad Pawar’s towering presence. It was after the NCP’s split in 2023 that Ajit Pawar completely walked out of Sharad Pawar’s shadow. The silent struggle for inheritance of the party between him and Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule, was a theme of discussion in the State politics for years, even as both the leaders had publicly claimed that the jurisdiction was clear for them. State politics would be handled by Ajit Pawar, while national politics would be handled by Supriya Sule, they would say.

He was known as a highly disciplined public leader who would often start his work by 6 a.m. or 7 a.m. He would joke, saying he was a part of a 24-hour government. That while he started work early in the morning, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis would work till late night and deputy CM Eknath Shinde would work till early hours through the night.