Ajit Pawar

**Ajit Anantrao Pawar** (22 July 1959 – 28 January 2026) was an Indian politician. He was Maharashtra's longest-serving Deputy Chief Minister from December 2024 until his death in January 2026. He was the Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from 2022 to 2023 and represented Baramati Lok Sabha constituency in 1991.

On 28 January 2026, Pawar was killed in an airplane crash at the Baramati Airport in Maharashtra, India.

## Infobox (officeholder)

- **embed**: yes
- **office1**: 8th Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra
- **term start1**: 2 July 2023
- **term end1**: 5 December 2024
- **governor1**: Ramesh Bais
C. P. Radhakrishnan
- **1blankname1**: Chief Minister
- **1namedata1**: Eknath Shinde
- **alongside1**: Devendra Fadnavis
- **2blankname1**: Eknath Shinde ministry, Ministry and Departments
- **2namedata1**: *Ministry of Finance (Maharashtra), Finance
*Ministry of Planning (Maharashtra), Planning
- **predecessor1**: Devendra Fadnavis
- **governor2**: Bhagat Singh Koshyari
- **term start2**: 30 December 2019
- **term end2**: 29 June 2022
- **1blankname2**: Chief Minister
- **1namedata2**: Uddhav Thackeray
- **2blankname2**: Thackeray ministry, Ministry and Departments
- **2namedata2**: *Ministry of Finance (Maharashtra), Finance
*Ministry of Planning (Maharashtra), Planning
*Ministry of State Excise (Maharashtra), State Excise (_additional charge_)
- **predecessor2**: _Himself_
- **successor2**: Devendra Fadnavis
- **term start3**: 23 November 2019
- **term end3**: 26 November 2019
- **1blankname3**: Chief Minister
- **1namedata3**: Devendra Fadnavis
- **governor3**: Bhagat Singh Koshyari
- **2blankname3**: Second Fadnavis ministry, Ministry and Departments
- **2namedata3**: *Minister without Portfolio
- **predecessor3**: President's rule
- **successor3**: _Himself_
- **term start4**: 25 October 2012
- **term end4**: 26 September 2014
- **2blankname4**: Prithviraj Chavan ministry, Ministry and Departments
- **2namedata4**: *Ministry of Finance (Maharashtra), Finance
*Ministry of Planning (Maharashtra), Planning
*Ministry of Energy, New and Renewable Energy Maharashtra, Energy
- **1blankname4**: Chief Minister
- **1namedata4**: Prithviraj Chavan
- **governor4**: *Om Prakash Kohli _(additional charge)_
*C. Vidyasagar Rao
- **predecessor4**: _Himself_
- **successor4**: President's rule
- **term start5**: 10 November 2010
- **term end5**: 25 September 2012
- **1blankname5**: Chief Minister
- **1namedata5**: Prithviraj Chavan
- **governor5**: *K. Sankaranarayanan
- **2blankname5**: Prithviraj Chavan ministry, Ministry and Departments
- **2namedata5**: * Ministry of Finance (Maharashtra), Finance
*Ministry of Planning (Maharashtra), Planning
*Ministry of Energy, New and Renewable Energy Maharashtra, Energy
- **predecessor5**: Chhagan Bhujbal
- **successor5**: _Himself_
- **office6**: 23rd List of Leader of the Opposition of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, Leader of the Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly
- **governor6**: *Bhagat Singh Koshyari
*Ramesh Bais
- **term start6**: 4 July 2022
- **term end6**: 2 July 2023
- **1blankname6**: Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Chief Minister
- **1namedata6**: Eknath Shinde
- **2blankname6**: List of speakers of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, Speaker
- **2namedata6**: *Zirwal Narhari Sitaram _(acting)_
*Rahul Narwekar
- **deputy6**: Balasaheb Thorat
- **predecessor6**: Devendra Fadnavis
- **successor6**: Jitendra Awhad _(acting)_

Balasaheb Thorat (_additional charge_)
Vijay Namdevrao Wadettiwar
- **office7**: List of Leaders of the House of the Maharashtra Legislative Council, Leader of the House in Maharashtra Legislative Council
- **governor7**: Bhagat Singh Koshyari
- **1blankname7**: Chairman
- **1namedata7**: Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar
- **deputy7**: Subhash Desai
- **termstart7**: 24 February 2020
- **termend7**: 29 June 2022
- **predecessor7**: *Chandrakant Patil
*Subhash Desai _(acting)_
- **successor7**: Devendra Fadnavis
- **term start8**: 11 November 2010
- **term end8**: 25 September 2012
- **governor8**: K. Sankaranarayanan
- **1blankname8**: Chairman
- **1namedata8**: Shivajirao Deshmukh
- **predecessor8**: Chhagan Bhujbal
- **successor8**: R. R. Patil
- **office9**: Government of Maharashtra, Cabinet Minister in Government of Maharashtra
- **2blankname9**: Chief Minister
- **2namedata9**: Ashok Chavan
- **governor9**: *S. C. Jamir
*K. Sankaranarayanan
- **1blankname9**: Government of Maharashtra, Ministry and Departments
- **1namedata9**: *Water Resources
*Krishna Valley Irrigation Corporation
*Energy
- **term start9**: 7 November 2009
- **term end9**: 10 November 2010
- **predecessor9**: *Sunil Tatkare
*Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar
- **successor9**: *Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar
*Sunil Tatkare
- **2blankname10**: Chief Minister
- **2namedata10**: Ashok Chavan
- **governor10**: *S. C. Jamir
- **1blankname10**: Government of Maharashtra, Ministry and Departments
- **1namedata10**: *Water Resources
*Water Supply
*Sanitation Command Area Development
- **term start10**: 8 December 2008
- **term end10**: 6 November 2009
- **2blankname11**: Chief Minister
- **2namedata11**: Vilasrao Deshmukh
- **governor11**: *Mohammed Fazal
*S. M. Krishna
*S. C. Jamir
- **1blankname11**: Government of Maharashtra, Ministry and Departments
- **1namedata11**: *Water Resources
*Excluding Krishna Valley Corporation
- **term start11**: 9 November 2004
- **term end11**: 1 December 2008


## Infobox (officeholder)

- **name**: Ajit Pawar
- **image**: Shri Ajit Anantrao Pawar.jpg
- **caption**: Pawar in 2024
- **death place**: Baramati, Maharashtra, India
- **death cause**: 2026 Baramati Learjet 45 crash, Aircraft accident
- **birth name**: Ajit Anantrao Pawar
- **birth place**: Deolali Pravara, Ahmednagar district, Bombay State, India
- **office**: 8th List of deputy chief ministers of Maharashtra, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra
- **alongside**: Eknath Shinde
- **governor**: *C. P. Radhakrishnan
*Acharya Devvrat _(additional charge)_
- **1blankname**: Chief Minister
- **1namedata**: Devendra Fadnavis
- **2blankname**: Third Fadnavis ministry, Ministry and Departments
- **2namedata**: *Ministry of Finance (Maharashtra), Finance
*Ministry of Planning (Maharashtra), Planning
*Ministry of State Excise (Maharashtra), State Excise
*Ministry of Sports and Youth Welfare (Maharashtra), Sports and Youth Welfare _(additional charge)_
*Ministry of Minority Development and Aukaf (Maharashtra), Minority Development and Aukaf _(additional charge)_
- **predecessor**: Devendra Fadnavis
- **office14**: Member of the Legislative Assembly (India), Member of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly
- **term start14**: 29 August 1991
- **term end14**: 28 January 2026
- **predecessor14**: Sharad Pawar
- **constituency14**: Baramati Assembly constituency, Baramati
- **office15**: Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
- **constituency15**: Baramati Lok Sabha constituency, Baramati
- **term start15**: 3 May 1991
- **term end15**: 20 June 1991
- **predecessor15**: Shankarrao Bajirao Patil
- **successor15**: Sharad Pawar
- **office16**: President of Nationalist Congress Party
- **predecessor16**: Sharad Pawar
- **successor16**: TBA
- **term start16**: 30 June 2023
- **term end16**: 28 January 2026
- **party**: Nationalist Congress Party
- **otherparty**: National Democratic Alliance (2023–2026)
United Progressive Alliance (2004–2022)
- **occupation**: Politician
- **children**: 2
- **year**: 2019