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EYE ON INDIA FEBRUARY 06, 2026 | The Indian Eye 6

Ajit Pawar’s Death Leaves

Maharashtra in a Political Vacuum,

Fuels Conspiracy Theories

The sudden demise of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has unsettled Maharashtra’s political

balance, triggering intense speculation, demands for transparency and a scramble
for succession across party lines.

OUR BUREAU Minister Fadnavis that the Air-
craft Accident Investigation Bureau
Mumbai / Baramati
(AAIB) has initiated a formal probe.
he untimely death of Maha- The aircraft’s black box has been se-
rashtra Deputy Chief Minister cured, and officials have confirmed
TAjit Pawar in a plane crash has that both the voice recorder and
plunged the state into a rare political flight data recorder have been recov-
vacuum, unsettling alliances, expos- ered. A time-bound and transpar-
ing fault lines within parties and giv- ent investigation, conducted under
ing rise to conspiracy theories that the Aircraft Accident and Incident
now swirl alongside public grief. As Rules, has been promised. The Pune
tributes pour in and investigations get Rural Police have also registered an
underway, Pawar’s absence is being Accidental Death Report and begun
felt not just as a personal loss but as a parallel inquiries.
destabilising moment for Maharash- Despite these assurances, the
tra’s power structure. political impact of Pawar’s death is
Union Home Minister Amit already visible. His absence comes at
Shah, who paid his last respects to BJP National President Nitin Nabin offers his condolences to a sensitive moment, with local body
Pawar, captured the prevailing sen- elections underway and broader re-
timent when he described the loss as NCP Rajya Sabha MP Sunetra Pawar during the last rites of her husband and Maharashtra alignments expected in the coming
a void in Maharashtra’s politics that Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday (ANI) months. As a leader who could mo-
would be “impossible to fill for a long bilise cadres and influence rural and
time.” Pawar, 66, died on Wednesday the political ramifications are unfold- Beyond party equations, the cooperative networks, Pawar played
morning when the chartered aircraft ing rapidly. Ajit Pawar was not mere- manner of his death has fuelled spec- a crucial role in electoral arithmetic.
he was travelling in crash-landed ly a Deputy Chief Minister; he was a ulation and conspiracy theories, am- His death may alter campaign dy-
near the runway while attempting to seasoned power broker, a mass lead- plified by social media and political namics, especially in regions where
land at Baramati airport in Pune dis- er with deep roots in western Maha- rhetoric. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader his personal influence outweighed
trict. The accident, which occurred rashtra and a figure who often held Sanjay Raut has openly questioned party labels.
around 8.48 am, killed all five people the key to government stability. His whether the crash was the result of There is also the question of gov-
on board, including Pawar’s person- ability to straddle factions, manage technical failures, radar issues or ernance. As Deputy Chief Minister,
al security officer, a flight attendant organisational machinery and deliver airport-related lapses, insisting that Pawar handled key portfolios and act-
and two pilots. He was en route from electoral outcomes made him indis- condolences alone are not enough. ed as a bridge between the state lead-
Mumbai to Baramati to campaign for pensable in a state known for com- Drawing parallels with previous char- ership and grassroots networks. Re-
the Zilla Panchayat elections. plex coalition politics. tered flight accidents, Raut demand- placing such institutional memory is
The scale of the mourning That indispensability now raises ed that the truth be placed before the not easy, and any transition risks creat-
was evident at his last rites, held uncomfortable questions: who fills public to prevent future tragedies. ing friction within the ruling setup. Po-
with full state honours at the Vidya the vacuum, and at what cost? With- Such statements reflect a broad- litical observers note that Maharashtra
Pratishthan ground in Baramati. Se- in the Nationalist Congress Party, al- er undercurrent of mistrust, particu- has often seen instability when strong
nior leaders cutting across political ready fractured by past splits, Pawar’s larly in a politically charged environ- personalities exit abruptly, whether
divides — including Chief Minister absence reopens unresolved succes- ment where high-profile deaths rarely through defeat, defection or death.
Devendra Fadnavis, Union Minister sion debates. Fauzia Khan, NCP-SCP escape scrutiny. While there is no ev- For now, the state stands at an
Nitin Gadkari, NCP (Sharadchan- MP and a long-time associate, de- idence of foul play, the demand for uneasy crossroads — united in grief
dra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar and scribed him as “the elder brother of transparency has grown louder, partly but divided by uncertainty. The inves-
actor Riteish Deshmukh — gathered Maharashtra” and a skilled organiser because of Pawar’s stature and partly tigation into the crash will be closely
alongside thousands of supporters. who could balance ideology, rela- because of the frequency of aviation watched, not only for answers about
Pawar’s sons, Parth and Jay, lit the tionships and governance. Her words accidents involving chartered aircraft. the tragedy but also for reassurance
funeral pyre, while his wife Sunetra underline a reality that many in the The government has moved in an atmosphere thick with suspi-
Pawar, a Rajya Sabha MP, stood by party privately acknowledge — Pawar swiftly to address these concerns. cion. At the same time, parties will
amid visible public grief. was often the glue holding competing Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan quietly begin recalibrating strategies,
Yet even as Maharashtra mourns, ambitions together. Naidu Kinjarapu informed Chief even as they publicly mourn.

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