A sea of mourners thronged Baramati as Ajit Pawar was laid to rest with full state honours, marking an emotional farewell to one of Maharashtra’s most influential political figures.
January 29, 2026
Amid an outpouring of grief and emotion, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was cremated with full state honours on Thursday at Vidya Pratishthan Ground in Baramati, his political bastion, as thousands of supporters, party workers, and leaders from across the country gathered to pay their final respects to one of Maharashtra’s most influential political figures.
The solemn last rites were performed by Pawar’s wife and Rajya Sabha MP Sunetra Pawar, along with his sons Rohit and Jay Pawar, as chants of “Ajit Dada amar rahe” echoed through the packed cremation ground. A sea of mourners lined the route and venue, many struggling to hold back tears while bidding farewell to the leader who shaped the political landscape of western Maharashtra for over three decades.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP National President Nitin Nabin, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin were among the prominent leaders who attended the funeral. Bollywood actor Riteish Deshmukh also paid his last respects, reflecting the widespread impact of Pawar’s political legacy.
VIDEO | Maharashtra: Vidip Dilip Jadhav, the personal security officer (PSO) of Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, was laid to rest with full state honours in his native village in Satara last night.
Jadhav was also on board the aircraft that crash-landed in Baramati yesterday, killing… pic.twitter.com/x17PFkF7ka
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 29, 2026
Earlier in the day, a massive funeral procession was taken out from Pawar’s ancestral residence at Katewadi to Vidya Pratishthan Ground, with thousands of NCP supporters, local residents, and party cadres lining the streets in silent tribute. The atmosphere was heavy with grief as floral tributes showered the cortege and emotional slogans filled the air.
READ: Left Tilt, Rapid Descent: New Footage Deepens Mystery Around Ajit Pawar Tragedy
Ajit Pawar, the longest-serving Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra and a senior leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), died in a tragic plane crash on Wednesday in Baramati. The 66-year-old leader was among five people killed when a chartered Learjet 45 aircraft, operated by Delhi-based VSR Ventures, caught fire while attempting to land in poor visibility at Baramati Airport.
Also on board the ill-fated flight were Pawar’s personal security officer Vidip Jadhav, flight attendant Pinky Mali, Pilot-in-Command Sumit Kapur, and Second-in-Command Shambhavi Pathak. All five died on the spot as the aircraft burst into flames after impact.
Meanwhile, the body of flight attendant Pinky Mali was brought to her residence in Mumbai’s Worli for last rites, where grieving family members and neighbours gathered to mourn her untimely death.
As Maharashtra mourns the loss of a towering political figure, tributes continued to pour in from across the political spectrum, with leaders remembering Ajit Pawar as a decisive administrator, mass leader, and tireless champion of development in the state.
