New Delhi, January 28 (ANI): Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant on Wednesday expressed grief over the tragic death of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who was killed in a charter plane crash near Baramati earlier in the day.
“It is very sad news,” Sawant said, adding that the entire Pawar family was shattered by the loss. “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,” he said.
Ajit Pawar was the nephew of veteran politician and Nationalist Congress Party founder Sharad Pawar and the cousin of Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule.
Several Members of Parliament were in the national capital to attend the Budget Session of Parliament, which begins on Wednesday. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi described the news as “shocking, painful, and heart-rending.”
“There have been differences between us, but we have worked together. He was a really committed man who stayed focused on his work. I express my sympathies to Pawar saheb, Supriya ji, Sunetra ji, Parth, and Jay. I also express my sympathies to lakhs and crores of people in Baramati. Going away like this is very painful,” she said.
The small charter aircraft, which took off from Mumbai around 8 a.m., crashed near Baramati airport during a landing attempt about 45 minutes later. Visuals from the crash site showed fire and smoke rising from the wreckage. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation said all five passengers on board died in the crash.
The Maharashtra government said in a statement that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah both contacted Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to receive information and updates about the incident.
Revolutionary Socialist Party MP N.K. Premachandran said the incident was “really shocking and very unfortunate,” adding that the circumstances surrounding the crash must be investigated. “Let us wait for the report and see what has actually happened,” he said.
DMK MP T. Siva said, “It is very sad. I have no words to express the grief. He was such a dynamic politician.”
Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy also condoled Pawar’s death, calling it “very shocking and sad.” Union Minister Giriraj Singh termed the incident “heart-rending,” saying Pawar was not only Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister but also a well-known national leader. “This is an irreparable loss,” he said.
Ajit Pawar was traveling to Baramati to attend a public rally for the Zilla Parishad elections when the crash occurred. He had been in Mumbai on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Maharashtra Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Ajit Pawar was the longest-serving deputy chief minister of Maharashtra in non-consecutive terms, having held the post six times under various governments. He served as deputy chief minister in the cabinets led by Prithviraj Chavan, Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray, and Eknath Shinde.
He is survived by his wife, Sunetra Pawar, and their two sons, Jay and Parth Pawar.
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