Baramati: The last rites of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who died in a plane crash, were performed with full state honours on Thursday at the Vidya Pratishthan ground in Baramati, Pune district. The funeral was attended by senior leaders from across the political spectrum, reflecting the stature of the veteran Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, former Union minister Sharad Pawar and BJP president Nitin Nabin were among those present at the ceremony held around 100 kilometres from Pune. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde also attended the funeral to pay their respects.
Family members, including Pawar’s wife Sunetra Pawar, a Rajya Sabha MP, and their sons Parth and Jay, were present. His cousin and Baramati Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule, along with NCP working president and former Union minister Praful Patel, also joined the gathering. Parth and Jay lit the funeral pyre amid emotional scenes.
Earlier in the day, Pawar’s mortal remains were taken from Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Hospital in Baramati, where they had been kept overnight, to his native village Katewadi before being brought back to Baramati for the final rites. The body was draped in the national flag as a mark of honour.
Meanwhile, officials investigating the plane crash confirmed the recovery of the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder from the accident site. Teams from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and forensic experts reached the spot to begin a detailed probe into the incident.
Hundreds of mourners gathered at Pawar’s residence in Katewadi on Thursday morning to pay their last respects. Villagers, local residents and NCP workers raised slogans praising the leader and remembered his contribution to the region’s development.
In a related development, the last rites of Vidip Dilip Jadhav, Ajit Pawar’s personal security officer who also died in the crash, were performed in his native village in Satara on Wednesday night. His young son carried out the final rites.
