Ajit Pawar: From Giving Up Lok Sabha Seat for His Uncle to Never Losing as MLA — How He Rose in Politics

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash in Baramati on January 28, 2026. His chartered aircraft, en route from Mumbai to Baramati, crashed during landing at 8:45 AM.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has died in a plane crash. His chartered plane, en route from Mumbai to Baramati, crashed during landing at 8:45 AM on Wednesday. Pawar was travelling to Baramati to attend a public rally for the Zilla Parishad elections.

Ajit Pawar was one of the prominent and influential politicians in Maharashtra. He was the nephew of veteran leader and NCP chief Sharad Pawar.

Ajit Pawar was born in Devalali Pravara in the Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra. His ancestral village is Katewadi in the Baramati taluka of Pune district.

When and How Did Ajit Pawar Enter Politics?

Ajit Pawar entered politics in 1982. He was only 23 years old at the time. He took his first step into the electoral world by winning an election to the board of a cooperative sugar mill.

At that time, Ajit's uncle Sharad Pawar had emerged as a major leader in Maharashtra. He was very influential in the cooperative sector. It is believed that Ajit also benefited from this.

Sharad Pawar had also made the cooperative movement the basis for entering politics. Ajit followed the same path and was successful.

Ajit's father, Anantrao Pawar, had passed away, so Ajit had to take on the responsibility of the family. He left his studies midway and became active in the Baramati region.

Entry into cooperative institutions is a significant part of rural politics in Maharashtra, as leaders connect with the public, undertake development work, and build vote banks from here. Ajit started from this.

A major turning point came in Ajit's life in 1991. He was elected the chairman of the Pune District Central Cooperative Bank. He remained in this post continuously for 16 years (from 1991 to 2007). In 1991, Ajit also became a Member of Parliament for the first time.

Resigned from Lok Sabha Seat After a Month and a Half

He won the election from Baramati on a Congress ticket and reached the Lok Sabha for the first time. However, after about a month and a half, he vacated the seat for his uncle Sharad Pawar.

Actually, Sharad Pawar was made the Defence Minister in P.V. Narasimha Rao's central government in 1991. Ajit Pawar vacated his seat to send him back to Parliament. Following this, a by-election was held for the Baramati seat.

After this, Ajit Pawar won the election from the Baramati assembly constituency in the same year (1991) and became an MLA, becoming active in state-level politics. From then until now (until 2026), he has been elected MLA from Baramati, never losing an election.

Interestingly, from 1991 until now, Ajit has become a minister and deputy chief minister multiple times. Although he never became the Chief Minister, he was known for remaining in power. Ajit Pawar served as Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra six times.

Also Faced Controversies

Irrigation and Finance were his preferred portfolios. While working on several projects as Irrigation Minister, he also faced controversies. In 2012, he was accused in the irrigation scam.

After this, in 2019, he was also embroiled in controversy regarding the 3-day government. In 2023, he rebelled against his uncle, broke away from the NCP, and joined the NDA. There, he was made the Deputy Chief Minister in the state government.