Dada Is Gone! Today Is an Extremely Difficult Day for Maharashtra

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ Grief-Stricken Tribute to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar

Mumbai, Jan 2026 : The death of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Dada Pawar in a plane crash is an incident that has deeply pained my heart. A mass leader with strong roots among the people, he was my friend and colleague. The news is devastating, it pierces the heart, and has left me numb. I have no words to express my emotions, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said while paying a grief-stricken tribute to the state’s Deputy Chief Minister, and Minister for Finance & Planning and State Excise, Ajit Pawar.

“I have lost a strong and big-hearted friend. For me, this is a personal loss—an irreparable one. Today is an extremely difficult day for Maharashtra.

I offer my heartfelt tribute to Dada.

We stand in solidarity with his entire family and the Nationalist Congress Party family in this moment of grief. Four other people also lost their lives in this accident. We share the sorrow of their families as well,” Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said while paying his emotional homage to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.