The last rites of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, killed in a plane crash, were held with full state honours on Thursday, January 29, 2026, at Baramati in Pune district. Union Ministers Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, former Union Minister Sharad Pawar, and BJP president Nitin Nabin attended the funeral at Vidya Pratishthan ground, around 100 km from Pune. Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde were also present. Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra, a Rajya Sabha member, and sons Parth and Jay were there as well. Thousands gathered, chanting "Ajit Dada amar rahe" as his mortal remains, draped in the national flag, were brought from his village Katewadi. Floral wreaths were placed by leaders including Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, Nitin Nabin, Devendra Fadnavis, Ramdas Athawale, Goa CM Pramod Sawant, Eknath Shinde, Sushilkumar Shinde, and Andhra Pradesh minister Nara Lokesh. Parth and Jay lit the funeral pyre. Ajit Pawar and four others died when their plane crashed about 200 meters from the tabletop airstrip. The others killed were Captain Sumit Kapoor, co-pilot Capt. Shambhavi Pathak, Personal Security Officer Vidip Jadhav, and flight attendant Pinky Mali. Their bodies were handed to families, hospital sources said. The government said the aircraft was cleared for landing after a go-around due to poor visibility. Despite clearance, it did not respond to air traffic control and crashed, bursting into flames near the airstrip edge. Police have registered an accidental death report case. The Civil Aviation Ministry confirmed recovery of the aircraft's black box, including the Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder, to aid investigation.