"Black day for Maharashtra": Sanjay Raut mourns Ajit Pawar's demise, hails his stronghold over administration

The small charter aircraft, with Ajit Pawar on board, took off from Mumbai around 8 am and crashed near Baramati airport during a landing attempt 45 minutes later.

Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, Sanjay Raut recalled Ajit Pawar's works, lauding his stronghold over administration. He said that Pawar was known as a minister who came fully prepared to the cabinet meetings.

Raut said, "Today is a black day for Maharashtra. When I heard the news that the plane with Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on board had crashed, I was hoping that he would come out alright. But then I received the painful news. His demise has brought a mountain of sorrow to Maharashtra. His way of speaking and working and holding over administration..."

"He had a relationship with Baramati. He was also a minister in Uddhav Thackeray's cabinet. He was known as a minister who came to the cabinet fully prepared. He had a deep study of important issues of the state, like irrigation and water. On behalf of Shiv Sena (UBT), Uddhav Thackeray expresses condolences and pays tribute," the Sena (UBT) leader added.

Pawar passed away in the crash while he was headed to Baramati to attend a public rally for the Zilla Parishad Elections. Pawar was in Mumbai on January 27, where he attended a meeting of the Maharashtra Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Maharashtra Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule and other officials were also present.

An emotional Shiv Sena (UBT) MP, Arvind Sawant, expressed grief over the tragic incident.

"It is very sad news," Sawant said, adding that the entire Pawar family is shattered by the news.

"I always did what he said. He was a bold man. He had a big role in the development of the Baramati region. I express my condolences to the entire Pawar family," the Shiv Sena (UBT) MP said.

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

Most of the MPs were in the national capital to attend the Budget Session of Parliament, which begins today.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said, "This is very shocking, painful and heart-rending. There have been differences between us, but we have worked together. He was a really committed man who kept to his work. I express my sympathies to Pawar sahab, Supriya ji, Sunetra ji, Parth and Jay. I also express sympathies to lakhs and crores of people in Baramati. Going away like this is very painful."

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)