Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday mourned the death of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, describing him as “a leader of the people” with a strong grassroots connect, after the senior leader was killed in a charter aircraft crash in Pune district’s Baramati area.
“Shri Ajit Pawar Ji was a leader of the people, having a strong grassroots level connect. He was widely respected as a hardworking personality at the forefront of serving the people of Maharashtra,” Modi said in a post on X.
Calling Pawar’s death “very shocking and saddening”, the Prime Minister added, “His understanding of administrative matters and passion for empowering the poor and downtrodden were also noteworthy. His untimely demise is very shocking and saddening. Condolences to his family and countless admirers. Om Shanti.”
DEPUTY CM, FIVE OTHERS KILLED IN PUNE DISTRICT CRASH
Ajit Pawar and five others were killed when the aircraft carrying them crashed while attempting to land in the Baramati area of Pune district on Wednesday morning, officials said.
The charter plane went down during landing, and initial reports confirmed that there were no survivors.
Soon after the incident, Prime Minister Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah contacted Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadanvis and received updates on the crash, the state government said.
Senior officials and emergency teams were rushed to the site, and rescue and investigation operations were launched.
AMIT SHAH CALLS IT ‘PERSONAL LOSS’
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the news of Pawar’s death had left him deeply distressed, calling it a personal loss for him and the NDA.
“Today, in a tragic accident, we have lost Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister and our senior NDA colleague Ajit Pawar ji,” Shah said in a post in Hindi.
“The way he dedicated himself to the welfare of every section of society in Maharashtra over the past three and a half decades cannot be expressed in words,” he added.
Shah said the entire NDA family stood firmly with the Pawar family in this hour of grief.
OPPOSITION LEADERS EXPRESS SHOCK
Several Opposition leaders also expressed sorrow over Pawar’s sudden demise.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said he was “shocked and deeply saddened” by the tragic accident and called Pawar’s death “a great loss to public life”.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said he was “shocked and deeply saddened” and extended condolences to Pawar’s family and followers.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the incident was “deeply shocking” and called for a proper investigation into the crash.
“The incident needs proper investigation,” Banerjee said in a post.
NITIN GADKARI: ‘A HUGE LOSS’
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari described Pawar as a close friend and said his death was a major blow to the political fraternity.
“Ajit Pawar’s death is unfortunate. He was my close friend in politics, and we also had familial relations. His passing away is a huge loss,” Gadkari said.
STATE MOURNS SENIOR LEADER
Ajit Pawar was among Maharashtra’s most influential political figures and a central force in state politics for decades. His sudden death has triggered widespread mourning, particularly in Baramati, his political stronghold.
Tributes continued to pour in from leaders across party lines and civil society groups as investigations into the cause of the crash got underway.
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