Rise and fall of Ajit Pawar in Baramati: Constituency that shaped his poignant political career

PTC News Desk: Ajit Pawar — Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister and a central figure in the state’s power politics, especially after his June 2023 split from uncle Sharad Pawar’s faction — died in a plane crash on Wednesday morning. The 66-year-old was travelling in a private aircraft from Mumbai to Baramati, the Pawar family’s political bastion, when the plane crashed while attempting to land about an hour into the journey.

He is survived by his wife Sunetra Pawar, a Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament, and their two sons, Parth and Jay.

In the end, death is inevitable for all. Yet, there is a certain symbolism in Pawar’s passing in Baramati — the fertile sugarcane belt that shaped and sustained his more than three-decade-long political career.

Ajit Pawar's political career

It was in Baramati that a young Ajit Pawar, then operating under the towering influence of his uncle, learned the strategies of politics and power, eventually emerging as a tough, influential leader who would go on to significantly reshape Maharashtra’s political dynamics. Years later, it was the same region where his political journey concluded.

Pawar’s career was marked by dramatic and defining moments. In November 2019, he briefly aligned with the BJP to form an unexpected government that lasted only 80 hours — a move that publicly exposed deep rifts within the NCP.

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

He began his political career in 1982 after being elected to the board of a cooperative sugar factory. In 1991, he became chairman of the Pune District Central Cooperative Bank and was elected to the Lok Sabha from Baramati, later stepping aside for Sharad Pawar. He went on to win the Baramati Assembly seat seven times, starting with a 1991 by-election and continuing through multiple subsequent terms.

In 2019, he led a major split within the NCP and joined a BJP-led government as Deputy Chief Minister. In February 2024, the Election Commission officially granted the party name and symbol to his faction.

Born on July 22, 1959, Ajit Pawar completed his schooling in Deolali Pravara, Ahmednagar. Although he enrolled in college, he left his studies to support his family following his father’s death.