Ajit Pawar to Be Laid to Rest with State Honours on Jan 29

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar, who died in a tragic chartered plane crash on Wednesday morning, will be accorded full state honours during his last rites, the Maharashtra General Administration Department (Protocol) said.

According to Kiran, a trustee of Vidya Pratishthan, Pawar’s mortal remains will be kept at the Vidya Pratishthan ground on Wednesday to allow the public to pay their last respects. The cremation is scheduled for Thursday at 11 am.

Pawar was travelling from Mumbai to Baramati to campaign for the Zilla Panchayat elections when the aircraft crashed at around 8:48 am. The circumstances leading to the crash are under investigation.

In the wake of his death, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced a state holiday and three days of official mourning across Maharashtra. As part of the mourning protocol, the national flag will be flown at half-mast on all government buildings, entertainment events have been cancelled, and government offices remained closed on Wednesday, January 28, 2026.

Describing Pawar’s passing as a profound loss, Fadnavis said the veteran leader’s death had left a deep void in Maharashtra’s political life. He recalled Pawar as a tireless administrator who played a key role in shaping the state’s governance across decades. Calling the loss personal, Fadnavis said a close colleague and friend had been lost.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences to the bereaved family and spoke with senior NCP leader Sharad Pawar following the news.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau have dispatched investigation teams to the crash site to ascertain the cause of the accident.

Ajit Pawar was among Maharashtra’s most influential political figures and its longest-serving Deputy Chief Minister, having held the post six times under successive governments led by Prithviraj Chavan, Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde.

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

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