Veteran Indian politician Ajit Pawar dies in plane crash, leaving power vacuum

Three days of mourning have been declared in the Indian state of Maharashtra after the death of the state’s deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, who was killed when his plane went down in flames on Wednesday.

Pawar, who had spent decades in politics in the wealthy and powerful Indian state, was travelling back to campaign in his home constituency when his plane made a failed attempted landing and caught fire as it hit the ground.

Two members of his staff and two crew members were also on board the flight. The authorities confirmed there were no survivors.

Thousands of his followers and supporters filled the streets of his home region of Baramati on Thursday for his funeral, where he was to be cremated with full state honours. Home minister Amit Shah was expected to attend the funeral.

Over his career, Pawar was deputy chief minister of the state six times, under various coalition governments. Prime minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to Pawar as a “leader of the people” who was “widely respected as a hardworking personality at the forefront of serving the people of Maharashtra.”

His death is likely to create a significant power vacuum in Maharastra politics. Born into a political family, in 1980 he had joined the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which was formed by his uncle Sharad Pawar.

He was seen as the natural heir to take over from his uncle as the party leader. However, their differing political styles led to tension and Pawar was seen to struggle to get out from beneath his uncle’s shadow.

After an initial failed rebellion in 2019, Pawar was instrumental in a dramatic upheaval of Maharashtra state politics in 2023 when he formed a faction within the NCP and broke away to join the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as they seized power in the state.

His move splintered the NCP party into two rival camps, with Pawar’s faction taking the NCP name, symbol and some of its most influential leaders and legislators with him, significantly undermining his once-powerful uncle. Pawar was named deputy chief minister once again after the BJP-led alliance won the 2024 state elections.

More recently, discussions had begun about the two NCP factions merging back together. After his death, questions now remain over who will be his successor and if the NCP party factions will be reunited.