Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar was known for a punishing morning routine that kept officials and contractors on edge. He often began work at 6am, reaching project sites in Pune or Baramati before sunrise. Many a time, engineers would be still asleep when he arrived, prompting calls straight from the field. Early visits, believed the NCP chief, ensured honest inspections and avoided traffic disruption. That habit became a hallmark of his administrative style.
So, on the morning of January 28, it seemed like business as usual when Ajit, 66, hopped on to a Learjet from Mumbai for Baramati to hold meetings ahead of the district council elections. The plane crash-landed near the airport at Baramati, killing him and four others.
Ajit’s untimely death sent shock waves across the state and country, with tributes pouring in from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. In him, the state has lost a lok neta (people’s leader), a practical, plainspoken politician with a solid grip on administration, a man who, unlike his powerful uncle Sharad Pawar, had no national ambitions but harboured chief ministerial dreams. That dream seemed within reach but remained unfulfilled as he had to settle for the deputy chief minister’s post not once but six times. And, he had no qualms in stating his ambition in public. When he rebelled against Pawar and split the NCP in 2023, he reacted to Eknath Shinde being named chief minister by saying that he would have brought the entire NCP into the NDA camp if he had known that he would be made chief minister. He had remarked that he had said it in jest, but such was his candour.
That ‘rebel’ tag is not a recent addition though. Ajit’s entry into politics was through a rebellion. In the Katewadi panchayat elections in the early 1980s, he walked out of the panel that he was supposed to be a part of and formed his own. His panel won the election and took control of the village panchayat. That was his first electoral triumph. He soon became director of the Shri Chhatrapati Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana (sugar cooperative) and a director of the Pune District Central Cooperative Bank, which he chaired for 16 years. His political strength flowed from the cooperative sector. His grip on the sugar belt made him vital to any coalition.
Ajit dada (elder brother in Marathi), fondly called so by people and his party cadre, was obsessed with the development of rural Maharashtra. During his tenure as water resources minister, the irrigated area in the state increased by 6 lakh hectares. While he earned credit for it, he was also accused in the Rs70,000 crore irrigation scam. Ajit called these allegations politically motivated. Interestingly, those allegations were made by then BJP state president Devendra Fadnavis and BJP leader of opposition Eknath Khadse, who is now with NCP (Sharad Pawar). Ajit would later become deputy chief minister under Fadnavis, and also share deputy chief ministership with Fadnavis under Shinde.
Ajit did not like being in the opposition. He said that being in power was always good for one’s constituency as one could work wonders for it. And that was evident in Baramati—despite his state-level influence, the constituency remained his political hub. He monitored everything from footpaths to drains and knew party workers across the district by name. In his electoral career of 36 years—he first became an MLA in 1991—Ajit spent only nine years in opposition.
That is also perhaps why it is surprising that he never became chief minister. After parting ways with his uncle, he had once said that had he been Pawar’s son, he would have become chief minister much earlier. He was probably hinting at the 2004 elections when the NCP had won more seats than the Congress. The second-rung leadership of the then NCP, like Ajit, Dilip Walse-Patil, late R.R. Patil and Jayant Patil, were keen on an NCP chief minister. Pawar, however, struck a deal with the Congress, opting for three important portfolios for the NCP in exchange of chief ministership. That was the time Ajit came closest to becoming chief minister.
Ajit’s relationship with Pawar was complicated. Having lost his father Anantrao Pawar very early in life, Ajit was groomed politically by his uncle. But when Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule joined politics, it caused a rift. Ajit’s relationship with Pawar blended rivalry with reverence. Even after the NCP split, the two shared meals at family events. Ajit touching his uncle’s feet at gatherings signalled that personal hierarchy endured even as politics diverged, leaving analysts guessing about intent.
There was a time when Ajit was seen as Pawar’s heir. But today, the question is: who will be his heir? Both his sons—Parth and Jay—are young while his wife Sunetra, who is a Rajya Sabha MP, lacks mass connect.
There is also a question mark over the future of the NCP. Before Ajit’s passing, there were talks that the two factions would join hands. In the recently held municipal corporation elections, the two came together to fight the BJP in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. The manifesto was jointly released by Ajit and Sule, signalling a thaw in the relationship. Sunil Tatkare, NCP state president and Ajit’s close aide, had said that both factions would soon have a meeting about coming together. But if they do come together, would NCP be part of the NDA or INDIA?
Also, it was said that Pawar would retire once his Rajya Sabha term ended this April. The merger of the factions was being considered keeping his retirement in mind. Now with Ajit gone, will Pawar postpone his retirement?
Ajit’s death has thrown up a lot of difficult questions. It has also left a vacuum too big to be filled by any of his party leaders.