By - Manak Gupta
Ajit Pawar was just 67 years old. It felt like he had only just begun the final and most decisive phase of his political career. Recently, during the Maharashtra local body elections, I had done a detailed interview with him. We spoke at length. In that interview, he said many things, and left many unsaid. The reason was clear. As I said then, his final and defining political innings was still ahead.
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This morning, news began circulating on social media and other platforms that Ajit Pawar’s aircraft had crashed in Baramati. At first, it was hard to believe. As the news started getting confirmed, only one thought came to mind, “Oh God, please let no one be harmed.” In most plane crashes, survivors are rare. The first hope was that it might have been an emergency landing and that he had survived. But when videos surfaced showing the aircraft on fire, it felt likely that Ajit Pawar had met the same fate as several leaders before him.
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Over the last one and a half years, I had interviewed Ajit Pawar two or three times in detail, once during the Lok Sabha elections and again recently. During the last interview, held amid the Maharashtra elections, it felt like he was fully prepared to start a new chapter. He had firmly established his party in the Assembly elections.
After separating from his uncle Sharad Pawar and his cousin Supriya Sule, he had won the battle of political legacy. He had made it clear that he represented the real NCP. That is why, when I met him this time, there was a sense of relief in him, but also visible restlessness. Everyone knew he had wanted to become Maharashtra’s Chief Minister for decades, and he never hid that ambition.
I asked him again, “Dada, don’t you think about becoming CM anymore?” He replied, “Of course I do, but I don’t have the numbers.” When I asked further, he said that just as Eknath Shinde was made CM despite having fewer seats, if the BJP had told him they would make him CM, he would have brought the entire party along. He seemed to be referring to 2019, when he briefly became Deputy CM for two or three days.
When I remarked that he had read Maharashtra politics well in advance in 2019, he smiled but did not say much. Still, his recent patch-up with Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule in Pune, where they contested the local body elections together, gave the impression that preparations were underway to reunite the NCP and take a new political step in Maharashtra and national politics.
I asked him many direct questions. “Will the NCP reunite? Will Supriya Sule become a Union minister while you handle Maharashtra?” He chose his words carefully. He said the alliance was only for local body elections and that he could not say anything about the future. Yet, I could sense unease in his words, body language, and tone. It was election time, campaigning was intense, and this local election was a matter of prestige, especially since the NCP was fighting separately from the BJP in Pune.
He wanted to prove that he could unite the NCP and establish it as an independent political force. There was a lot of work to be done. Though he was 67, he remained extremely energetic. When his team fixed the interview, they said it would be between 5 am and 8 am. I wasn’t surprised. He would wake up around 4 or 4:30 am, finish interviews and meetings early, and then move on to ministry work and travel.
Even now, it is hard to believe he is gone. He was healthy and driven. His hunger for politics had not faded, there was still so much he wanted to do. Ajit Pawar was no polished orator like Sharad Pawar or Supriya Sule. He spoke straight from the heart, and that often led to controversies.
Yet even his critics admit that no one matched his administrative control. He was a tough taskmaster. When he was angry, everyone knew within minutes. He kept tight control over officers. As he prepared for the final phase of his career, he had drawn up long-term plans. Over the past year or so, he had brought both his sons, Jay and Parth, into active politics. His wife Sunetra Pawar, after losing the Lok Sabha election, was sent to the Rajya Sabha. He was gradually handing over responsibilities of Pune and Baramati to his sons.
After his passing, many questions arise. Who will now lead the Ajit Pawar-led NCP? What will happen to the alliance with the Sharad Pawar faction? Will the two parties merge? Sharad Pawar is already in his mid-eighties. Will the responsibility now fall on Supriya Sule? If the party unites, will it remain in the NDA? Who will be Deputy CM, Sunetra Pawar or Supriya Sule?
Ajit Pawar will be remembered across Maharashtra and India for controversies, bold statements, and political clashes. He will also be remembered for being Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister a record six times. Some will recall irrigation controversies; his supporters will remember him as the “Water Man.” Others will remember his fast decision-making, financial expertise, and command over numbers and budgets.
I will remember Ajit Pawar for his straightforward nature, his openness with journalists, and his willingness to change with time, embracing new strategies, digital politics, and preparing the next generation for leadership.
Ajit Dada, rest in peace. My deepest condolences to your family. May they find strength to endure this immense loss. Goodbye.