Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar died in a charter plane crash, in Baramati, on Wednesday morning. He had left from Mumbai in the morning to take part in a rally in Baramati.
Ajit Pawar was a significant figure in Maharashtra's political history over the last 40 years, and his supporters affectionately call him 'Dada'. Ajit Pawar started as a grassroots leader under his uncle's influence in the 1980s and in 1991, he was successfully elected to the Lok Sabha, representing the Baramati Constituency.
Ajit Pawar rapidly progressed in state politics, following a similar path as his uncle, Sharad Pawar. However, he turned against him and allied himself with the BJP by accepting the position of Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, effectively splitting the NCP into two factions.
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In July 2023, he had said, "I want to become Chief Minister one day and implement my own plans for the people's welfare."
His last two posts on social media
Before he lost his life in the plane crash on January 28, the Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister had on Republic Day posted a video on his X (formerly Twitter) account. The heartfelt video was captioned in Marathi and said, "May Balsagar be the pride of India, and may it shine gloriously in the world!"
In the video, he can be seen unfurling the national flag along with several dignitaries. The visuals further show him taking part in the Republic Day celebrations, delivering a speech, interacting with school children, saluting the cadets in the parade and flagging off initiatives.
बलसाà¤â€â€ÃƒÂ ¤° à¤ÂÂारत होवो, विशà¥ÂÂवात शोà¤ÂÂà¥ÂÂनी राहो..!#RepublicDay pic.twitter.com/XjSUF1qoPE
 Ajit Pawar (@AjitPawarSpeaks) January 26, 2026
Cabinet decisions
In another post on X by the Deputy Chief Minister, he laid out some of the most important decisions taken by the Maharashtra state government during the Cabinet meeting on January 27.
In the post, he said, "The 'PM Setu' scheme will be implemented in Industrial Training Institutes. Relief for aspiring youth. In the first phase, implementation in Industrial Training Institutes in Nagpur, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, and Pune districts. In subsequent phases, other institutes in the state will be included. Through PM Setu (Pradhan Mantri Skilling And Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs), it will become easier for candidates to secure employment opportunities. (Skills, Employment, Entrepreneurship and Innovation)."
आपलà¥ÂÂया विशà¥ÂÂवासू राजà¥ÂÂय सरकारनं आजचà¥ÂÂया मंतà¥ÂÂरिमंडळाचà¥ÂÂया बैठकीत घेतलेले काही महतà¥ÂÂतà¥ÂÂवपूरà¥ÂÂण निरà¥ÂÂणय :
 Ajit Pawar (@AjitPawarSpeaks) January 27, 2026
✅ à¤â€Âदà¥ÂÂयोà¤â€â€ÃƒÂ ¤¿à¤• पà¥ÂÂरशिकà¥ÂÂषण संसà¥ÂÂथामधà¥ÂÂये 'पीà¤ÂÂम सेतू' योजना राबविणà¥ÂÂयात येणार. होतकरू यà¥ÂÂवकांना दिलासा. पहिलà¥ÂÂया टपà¥ÂÂपà¥ÂÂयात नाà¤â€â€ÃƒÂ ¤ªà¥‚र, छतà¥ÂÂरपती संà¤ÂÂाजीनà¤â€â€ÃƒÂ ¤° आणि पà¥ÂÂणे जिलà¥ÂÂहà¥ÂÂयातील à¤â€Âदà¥ÂÂयोà¤â€â€ÃƒÂ ¤¿à¤• पà¥ÂÂरशिकà¥ÂÂषण…
He further informed of the decision to waive stamp duty for the sale and purchase of enemy property. "Decision to waive stamp duty for the sale-purchase of enemy property under the control of the Central Government or State Government. (Revenue, Registration and Stamp Duty)," he wrote.
In other decisions, he informed of the extension of lease period for government land allotted for various purposes. "Particularly, for leases of 30 years, extension of the period for government land under the provisions of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966, and also the Maharashtra Land Revenue (Disposal of Government Lands) Rules, 1971. (Revenue, Registration and Stamp Duty)."
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"Revival of Jawahar Shetkari Sahakari Sutgirni in Dhule. Recommendation forwarded to the National Cooperative Development Corporation, New Delhi.
(Textiles) and trades Receivables Discounting System (TReDS Platform) for settling pending dues of contractors. Facility for micro, small, and medium contractors-entrepreneurs associated with the Public Works Department. (Public Works)," he wrote.
