Ajit Pawar Dies Amid Talks Of Political Reunion With Uncle Sharad Pawar

Ajit Pawar's shocking death in a plane crash this morning comes at a time when the power corridors of Maharashtra were abuzz with speculation that the two factions of NCP -- one led by Ajit Pawar, and the other by his uncle and party founder Sharad Pawar -- could reunite.

Founded in 1999, NCP split in 2023 after Ajit Pawar led a rebellion against the veteran Sharad Pawar. Following the split, Ajit Pawar joined the NDA government in Maharashtra, while his uncle Sharad Pawar and cousin Supriya Sule stayed in the opposition.

Ajit Pawar also won the battle for the party's name and symbol, and the Sharad Pawar faction was given a new name and symbol.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Ajit Pawar's party won just one seat, but the Sharad Pawar faction scored eight. Tables, however, turned in the Maharashtra Assembly polls last year, when Ajit Pawar's party won 41 and Sharad Pawar's faction managed just 10.

Ajit Pawar returned as Deputy Chief Minister in the NDA government, now under the BJP's Devendra Fadnavis.

A year after the state polls, Maharashtra prepped for the local body elections and the two factions of NCP made a surprise announcement -- the camps of Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar said they had decided to contest elections to municipal corporations in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad together.

Elections to civic bodies are dominated by local factors, so surprising political arithmetic and alignment are fairly common. But the two camps of NCP dropped broad hints that they are considering a reunion and not just a one-time political arrangement. Cousins Ajit Pawar and Supriya Sule addressed joint press conferences and both camps said their workers want the two factions to reunite. Publicly, leaders from both sides maintained that they had not taken a final call on a merger.

It is against this backdrop that today's tragic plane crash has claimed Ajit Pawar's life. His untimely death has devastated the Pawar family. Sharad Pawar and his daughter Supriya Sule rushed to Pune after hearing of the crash. Ajit Pawar is survived by wife, Sunetra, and sons, Jay and Parth.

Ajit Pawar and four others died in a plane crash at Baramati airport this morning. The small aircraft, which took off from Mumbai around 8.10 am, crashed near Baramati airport during a landing attempt. According to reports, Pawar was to attend four important public meetings ahead of the local body polls next month.

The flight was operated by a company called VSR and was a Learjet 45. An aircraft of the same make had crashed in September 2023 in Mumbai. According to flight tracker, flightradar24, the aircraft took off from Mumbai at 8.10 am and disappeared from radar around 8.45 am. Flightradar24 said that the plane was attempting a second landing when it crashed. Superintendent of Police Sandip Singh Gill said that after the crash, a fire broke out. "People onboard were immediately taken to the hospital," he said.