Raj Thackeray Hails Ajit Pawar as Caste-Free, Straightforward Leader After Tragic Crash

Raj Thackeray said that Ajit Pawar was a "remarkably straightforward" leader who was "utterly free of caste bias" and transformed the Pimpri Chinchwad and Baramati region. He added that Maharashtra's politics has lost an outstanding leader.

"Ajit Pawar and I entered politics around the same time, though our acquaintance came much later. But on the strength of his sheer passion for politics, Ajit Pawar took great strides in Maharashtra's political arena. Though Ajit Pawar was a leader forged in the mould of Pawar Saheb, he later carved out his own independent identity. And he imprinted that identity in every nook and corner of Maharashtra," the MNS chief posted on X.

"In the 1990s, urbanisation gained momentum in Maharashtra. Rural areas began tilting toward semi-urbanisation, yet the tone of politics there remained rural, even as the nature of their issues began to shift somewhat toward the urban. Ajit Pawar had a complete grasp of this kind of politics and the skill to handle it adeptly. Pimpri Chinchwad and Baramati are two excellent examples of that. Whether it was Pimpri Chinchwad or Baramati, Ajit Dada transformed these regions in ways that even his political opponents would acknowledge," Raj added.

Hailing Ajit Pawar's leadership qualities, Raj Thackeray said, "He was a leader with a precise grip on administration and an exact knowledge of where to untangle the knots in a file to resolve it. In an era when administration must rise above those in power, it is extremely tragic that Maharashtra has lost such a leader."

Referring to Ajit Pawar as a "remarkably straightforward" leader, the MNS chief said, "one has to pay a price for straightforwardness and candour."

"Ajit Pawar was remarkably straightforward. If something couldn't be done, he'd say it to your face, and if it could, he'd put all his energy into it. Deceiving people by making promises and surrounding himself with crowds wasn't his style. In politics, one has to pay a price for straightforwardness and candour--I know that from experience, and one can imagine how much Ajit Pawar must have had to pay for it," he said.

"Another quality of Ajit Pawar that I admired was that he was utterly free of caste bias, and caste had absolutely no place in his politics. In today's politics, leaders who demonstrate the courage to engage without regard for caste are dwindling, and Ajit Pawar was undoubtedly at the forefront among them," Thackeray added.

Ajit Pawar was killed in a chartered plane crash while travelling from Mumbai to Baramati on Wednesday morning. Pawar was on his way to Baramati to campaign for the Zilla Panchayat elections.

Ajit Pawar's last rites will be performed with full state honours, the Maharashtra General Administration Department (Protocol) informed on Wednesday.

Kiran, Trustee of Vidya Pratishthan, said that Pawar's last rites will be conducted tomorrow at 11 am.

"The mortal remains of Ajit Pawar will be kept at Vidya Pratishthan ground for the public to pay their last respects today. The last rites will be conducted tomorrow at 11 am," Kiran told ANI.

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis announced a state holiday and three days of mourning following the demise of Deputy CM Ajit Pawar

During the three-day mourning period, the national flag will be flown at half-mast on all buildings across Maharashtra where it is regularly hoisted. No government entertainment programmes will be organised during this period. All state government offices across Maharashtra will remain closed on Wednesday, January 28, 2026.

The crash occurred around 8.48 am, and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau have dispatched probe teams to the site of the mishap to investigate.

Ajit Pawar was the longest-serving Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra non-consecutively. He served in the position for six terms within various governments. He had worked as deputy chief minister in the cabinets of Prithviraj Chavan, Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde.

He is survived by his wife, Sunetra Pawar and two sons, Jay and Parth Pawar.

- ANI