Ajit Pawar dies in plane crash; Gautam Adani mourns his passing

Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar died in a charter plane crash. Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani mourned his passing, recalling his vision. CM Devendra Fadnavis has announced a state holiday and three days of mourning for the late leader.

Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani on Wednesday expressed grief over the demise of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who passed away following a plane crash. Gautam Adani recalled the inauguration of the Sharad Pawar Centre of Excellence in AI and hailed the NCP chief's commitment to make Maharashtra future-ready.

Adani pays tribute

"Deeply saddened by the passing of Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister, Ajit Pawar. Just a month ago, we stood together in Baramati for the inauguration of the Sharad Pawar Centre of Excellence in AI - a moment that reflected Ajit ji's vision, his belief in progress and his commitment to Bharat's youth and her future. May we honour his legacy by continuing the work he championed to build a future-ready Maharashtra. May his soul rest in peace," Adani wrote on X.

Fatal crash and investigation

Ajit Pawar died in a charter plane crash while travelling from Mumbai to Bramati this morning. He was in Mumbai on January 27, where he attended a meeting of the Maharashtra Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Devendra Fadanvis has announced a state holiday and three days of mourning following the demise of Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, in a plane crash this morning.

Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, CM Fadanvis said that the decision on Pawar's last rites will be made after consulting his family.

A special team of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will investigate the aircraft crash in Baramati, which took away the lives of five individuals, including Ajit Pawar and crew members.

Political legacy and family

Pawar,66, was the nephew of veteran politician and NCP founder Sharad Pawar, and the cousin of Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule.

Ajit Pawar was the longest-serving Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra non-consecutively. He served in the position for six terms within various governments.

He had worked as deputy chief minister in the cabinets of Prithviraj Chavan, Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde.

He is survived by his wife, Sunetra Pawar and two sons, Jay and Parth Pawar. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)