Maharashtra Cong leaders mourn Ajit Pawar's death hail him as capable administrator

    Mumbai, Jan 28 (PTI) Maharashtra Congress leaders on Wednesday expressed shock at the demise of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash in Pune, and lauded him as a capable and committed administrator.
    State Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal, in a condolence message, said Pawar played a significant role in Maharashtra's progress and governance, and his demise is a major loss for the state.
    Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad said she was deeply shocked by the news of Pawar's demise, describing it as a personal loss for those who had worked closely with him.

    In a statement, Gaikwad said she had worked with Pawar during the Congress-NCP alliance government and later in the Maha Vikas Aghadi rule, and the news felt like losing a family member.

    She said Pawar was known for his punctuality and his sincere and hardworking approach in both the cabinet and the party. As finance minister, he always ensured that the state's funds were utilised for public welfare projects and appropriate purposes, she added.

    Gaikwad also recalled Pawar's witty style, saying it often helped ease tense and serious situations.

    Senior Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat described Ajit Pawar as a capable administrator, saying his demise was a deeply tragic loss for the state.


    He said Pawar was an able and decisive leader, with whom he shared several years of public life and work.

    "Having worked together for many years, his death is a personal loss. Maharashtra has lost a strong and visionary leader," Thorat said in a statement.
    Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Waddetiwar said Pawar was a skilled administrator who kept his word.

    "When I first joined the cabinet, I was a Minister of State. He taught me how to handle the department's works. I worked with him for 25 years. Today, Maharashtra's soil has lost a great leader," he said.



    This (Pawar's death in the plane crash) is something beyond imagination. Maharashtra has lost a people's leader, he added.
    Senior NCP (SP) leader and former Maharashtra home minister also paid tribute to Pawar and said the news of his untimely death is extremely heartbreaking.
    "There will never be another leader with such dynamism and work ethic. His death means the loss of a people-oriented and decisive leadership. He was a true public servant who tirelessly worked from 5 am for the people's issues. Maharashtra will forever remember his contributions to the state's development," said Deshmukh.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)