Ajit Pawar was a senior Indian politician from Maharashtra who served multiple times as Deputy Chief Minister and was one of the state’s most influential power brokers over three decades.

Quick Scoop: Who is Ajit Pawar?

Ajit Anantrao Pawar (22 July 1959 – 28 January 2026) was a key regional leader in Maharashtra, known for his strong grip over administration, party organisation, and the cooperative sector (especially sugar factories and banks). He was the nephew of veteran leader Sharad Pawar and emerged as one of the most powerful figures in state politics, often seen as a decisive, no- nonsense negotiator.

Key roles and positions

  • Longest‑serving Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, holding the post in six separate terms under different chief ministers.
  • Handled major portfolios: Finance, Planning, Irrigation, Water Resources, Rural Development and related economic departments over the years.
  • Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in 2022–2023 after the fall of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government.
  • Elected repeatedly as MLA from the Baramati constituency, building it into his core political stronghold.
  • Before becoming a state heavyweight, he briefly served as a Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) from Baramati in 1991.

Political journey & party twists

  • Started his political career in the Congress ecosystem and then joined the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) when it was formed by Sharad Pawar in 1999.
  • Built influence through cooperative institutions: milk unions, sugar factories and banks that are central to rural Maharashtra politics.
  • 2019 “early morning” episode: briefly aligned with the BJP to form a short‑lived government with Devendra Fadnavis; that government collapsed in about 80 hours, and he resigned.
  • Returned to NCP and again became Deputy CM in the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition with Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) and Congress.
  • 2023: led a dramatic split in the NCP by breaking away from Sharad Pawar and aligning with the BJP–Eknath Shinde camp, later being recognised as the official NCP faction.
  • December 2024: Sworn in as Deputy CM for the sixth time, alongside CM Eknath Shinde under BJP leadership in Maharashtra.

Recent controversies and media buzz

In late 2025 he faced sharp criticism for a campaign remark where he suggested that if voters “cut votes” he would “cut funds,” a line widely condemned as coercive and undemocratic by the opposition. He later defended himself in the media, saying he had said what he wanted to say and downplayed the criticism, which kept him in the headlines.

He was also frequently in the news for his assertive, sometimes brusque style in cabinet meetings and public speeches, which supporters saw as tough leadership and critics saw as high‑handed politics. Interviews and talk shows through 2024–early 2026 often focused on his rivalry and uneasy equation with Sharad Pawar and other Maharashtra heavyweights.

Death and “latest news”

Ajit Pawar died on 28 January 2026 in a plane accident near Baramati, triggering a wave of reactions across Indian politics and intense media coverage. He was 66 at the time of his death and was serving as Deputy Chief Minister in the Shinde–Fadnavis government, as well as the de facto face of his NCP faction.

News outlets and political commentators have been describing him as a mass leader who combined grassroots cooperative power with backroom deal‑making, leaving a complex legacy of development work, political gambles, and party splits. Ongoing “latest news” cycles are focusing on the future of his faction of the NCP, succession in Baramati, and how his death reshapes alliances in Maharashtra ahead of upcoming municipal and state‑level contests.

Mini timeline at a glance

  1. 1959 – Born in Deolali Pravara, Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra.
  1. 1991 – Elected MP (Lok Sabha) from Baramati.
  1. 1990s–2000s – Becomes MLA from Baramati, rises through ministerial ranks (Soil Conservation, Power, Planning, Irrigation, Rural Development).
  1. 2000s–2020s – Serves multiple terms as Deputy Chief Minister in different coalition governments.
  1. 2019 – Brief early‑morning government with BJP, falls in 80 hours; later Deputy CM in Maha Vikas Aghadi.
  1. 2023 – Splits NCP and joins BJP–Shinde alliance as Deputy CM again.
  1. 2024 – Takes oath as Deputy CM for the sixth time.
  1. 2026 – Dies in a plane crash near Baramati on 28 January 2026.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.