New Delhi

BJP Lok Sabha MP Ravi Kishan on Wednesday expressed deep sorrow over the death of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, calling it an irreplaceable loss not only for the state but for the nation as a whole.

Speaking to reporters, Kishan recalled his personal interactions with the veteran NCP leader and said Pawar was widely regarded as the undisputed leader of Baramati.

“This is an immense loss for Maharashtra’s politics and for the country. I knew Ajit Pawar personally, and he was fondly known as the ‘king of Baramati’,” Ravi Kishan said.

Ajit Pawar’s political career spanned more than three decades. He entered the Lok Sabha in 1991 from the Baramati constituency but later vacated the seat in favour of his uncle, Sharad Pawar. He went on to become a dominant force in state politics, winning the Baramati Assembly seat multiple times. Pawar secured his first Assembly victory in a 1991 by-election and retained the constituency in successive elections in 1995, 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2014. In the 2024 Assembly elections, he achieved a record eighth consecutive win from Baramati.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anand Dubey also mourned Pawar’s passing, saying the news of his death in a plane crash had shocked the entire political fraternity. He described Pawar as a leader who commanded respect across party lines.

“The news of his passing in a plane crash this morning has left everyone devastated. He was admired beyond political affiliations. Whether it was the Mahavikas Aghadi or the Mahayuti, he worked with sincerity and dedication. He was among those rare leaders who worked tirelessly,” Dubey told ANI.

Ajit Pawar died earlier on Wednesday after a chartered aircraft crashed while attempting to land at Baramati in Maharashtra. According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), all five people on board the Mumbai–Baramati flight lost their lives. The crash occurred at around 8.45 am near the runway threshold.

Pawar was travelling with two staff members—his personal security officer and an attendant—along with two crew members. Further details regarding the cause of the accident are awaited.

He was en route to Baramati to attend a public rally ahead of the Zilla Parishad elections. On Tuesday, Pawar had been in Mumbai, where he participated in a meeting of the Maharashtra Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

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Ajit Pawar was the longest-serving Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra in non-consecutive terms, having held the post six times across governments led by Prithviraj Chavan, Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde.