Ajit Pawar dies in plane crash: Fellow MPs express shock at “heart rending” news, recall big role in development of Baramati

New Delhi (ANI): An emotional Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant on Wednesday expressed grief at the news of the tragic demise of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar who was killed in a charter plane crash in Bramati early on Wednesday.

“It is very sad news,” Sawant said adding that the entire Pawar family is shattered by the news.

“I always did what he said. He was a bold man. He had a big role in the development of the Baramati region. I express my condolences to the entire Pawar family,” the Shiv Sena (UBT) MP said

Ajit Pawar was the nephew of veteran politician and NCP founder Sharad Pawar, and the cousin of Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule.

Most of the MPs were in the national capital to attend the Budget Session of Parliament which begins today.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said, “This is very shocking, painful and heart-rending. There have been differences between us, but we have worked together. He was a really committed man who kept to his work. I express my sympathies to Pawar sahab, Supriya ji, Sunetra ji, Parth and Jay. I also express sympathies to lakhs and crores of people in Baramati…Going away like this is very painful…”

The small charter aircraft, which took off from Mumbai around 8 am, crashed near Baramati airport during a landing attempt 45 minutes later. Visuals from the crash spot show fire and smoke spewing from the remains of the plane. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation said all five passengers on board died in the crash.

Maharashtra Government said in a statement that PM Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah both contacted Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadanvis and received information and updates about the plane crash.

Revolutionary Socialist Party MP NK Premachandran said, “It is very unfortunate to hear that such an accident has taken place. We are not aware of the details, so let us wait for the report and see what has actually happened. It is really shocking and very unfortunate. Deputy CM and his team were travelling in the plane and this has happened. That has to be investigated, let us wait for the report.”

DMK MP T Siva said,” It is very sad. I have no words to express the grief. He was such a dynamic politician.”

Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy condoled the demise and said,” It is very shocking and sad news. I express my condolences to his family.”

Union Minister Giriraj Singh said “This is a really unfortunate incident…Reports are coming in that Ajit Pawar was also onboard. If it is true, then this is a highly unfortunate day…This is a heart-rending incident. May God give strength to the affected families…He was not just the Deputy CM of Maharashtra but also a well-known politician in the country. This is an irreparable loss.”

Pawar was headed to Baramati to attend a public rally for the Zilla Parishad Elections when his plane crashed. Pawar was in Mumbai on Tuesday, where he attended a meeting of the Maharashtra Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure, chaired by CM Devendra Fadnavis. Maharashtra Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule and other officials were also present.

Ajit Pawar was the longest serving Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra non-consecutively. He served in the position for six terms within various governments. He had worked as deputy chief minister in the cabinets of Prithviraj Chavan, Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde.He is married to Sunetra Pawar, with whom he has two sons, Jay and Parth Pawar. ANI