Nagpur: Union minister Nitin Gadkari and several other leaders expressed shock over the untimely death of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Wednesday, describing it as an irreplaceable loss not just for the state but for the entire nation.
Gadkari said he shared a very close personal bond with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader.
Pawar, 66, and four other persons were killed after an aircraft carrying them crashed near his hometown Baramati in Pune district on Wednesday morning, officials said.
In a post on X, Gadkari said the news of Pawar’s untimely demise in the accident is extremely shocking, unfortunate, and heartbreaking.
“My heartfelt tribute to him. For many years, while working together in the state legislature, I shared a very close relationship with Ajit dada. His administrative acumen, developmental vision, and ability to connect with people ensured Ajit dada’s unshakable place in Maharashtra‘s politics,” the senior BJP leader said.
The premature death of this people’s leader, who aspired for Maharashtra’s development, is not just an irreplaceable loss for the state, but the entire nation, Gadkari said.
“In this moment of grief, my condolences are with the entire Pawar family. May God grant peace to the departed soul,” he added.
Maharashtra Social Justice Minister Sanjay Shirsat said everyone had great respect for Ajit Pawar, who had the ability to face difficult situations.
Pawar’s death was shocking for him and the entire state, he added.
State OBC Welfare Minister Atul Save said Pawar’s death has created a vacuum in the state, as it has lost a leader who took efforts for its development.
NCP leader and former state minister Dhananjay Munde said that Ajit Pawar was his pillar of support and never let him feel the absence of his father.
Munde had resigned from the Devendra Fadnavis-led cabinet last year after his associate was arrested in connection with the murder of a sarpanch in Beed district.
NCP’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district president and MLC Satish Chavan said that he has lost his “god”.
“I never felt that such a time would come. He (Pawar) brought me into politics. I have lost my god,” he told reporters.
Former Leader of Opposition in the state legislative council, Ambadas Danve, in a post on X said, “Pawar was a leader who stood tall through four decades of relentless hard work and slipped away in a single moment.”
He always kept his word, had an excellent grip on the administration and was deeply connected to the grassroots. This loss is not just of the Pawar family, but of Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader added.
Another Sena (UBT) leader and former MP, Chandrakant Khaire, said Pawar was a very disciplined man and gave importance to every person who came to him for their work.
“I was a minister and he was an MLA earlier between 1995 and 1999. Later, he was in power for a long time but always cooperated with the people from Opposition parties whenever needed,” Khaire told PTI over the phone.
He recalled that Pawar had met his mother during the Maharashtra Muktisangram Din event on September 17 and paid respects to her.
Former AIMIM MP Imtiaz Jaleel said that with Pawar’s demise, the state has lost an efficient administrator who was known for his decision-making ability.
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