Back in the monsoon of 1999, the then Congress heavyweight Sharad Pawar had broken away from the party to set up his own. Four months later, the nascent Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) contested the Maharashtra Assembly elections with the clock symbol. That campaign was tough in many ways - old friends and compatriots had become new rivals, the organisational set-up was still being consolidated, sources of funds had trickled down. What was short on resources, Pawar decided, would be made good by the second rung of leaders he had groomed. He sent the handful across the state, especially into corners of western Maharashtra - his stronghold - and monitored every move and statement each of them made. Foremost among them was Ajit Pawar, his nephew.
What Sharad Pawar Told Me Years ago
“Is he your number two,” I asked him while accompanying on one of his many road campaigns. Pawar shook his head. “At this point, I don't know what kind of a politician and political leader he will grow into. He has everything going for him, he is sharp and intelligent, he works hard and is willing to keep long hours, he understands the value of connecting with workers and people in every village. But then there are others who show similar qualities too. Let the race begin. If he has what it takes, he will emerge the first among equals,” replied Pawar, in a rare instance of a long answer.
Advertisement - Scroll to continue
Over the next 25 years and some, Ajit Pawar not only emerged as a frontrunner among his colleagues in the party but also split the party, took away the name and the symbol - albeit with the blessings of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) - was sworn in as Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister for a record six times, presided over significant portfolios such as finance and irrigation, and decisively came out of the shadows of his uncle and political mentor. Ajit Ashatai Anantrao Pawar, as he took his name during the oath-taking ceremonies, at 66 years, was a politician in his own right, more than a powerful uncle's nephew.
He evolved a grounded approach and rustic style all his own. A straight talker to Pawar's few words. Humorous to Pawar's deadpanism. Going the extra mile for power that even Pawar might not have considered - such as openly allying with the BJP. But what he learned from his mentor was visible in his firm and steady grasp over the administrative machinery, his stern and no-nonsense approach to work, his clarity and focus with bureaucrats and his staff, his sensitivity and personal approach to people who came to him, his ability to say things publicly that drew spontaneous applause from listeners, and his friendships across party divides.
One Of Their Own
As darkness fell on January 28 at the Vidya Pratishthan grounds in Baramati, the home turf of the Pawar clan, and tens of thousands crowded every available square metre of space grieving for their Ajitdada - killed with four others that morning in an airplane crash minutes before landing at Baramati - Pawar Sr would have run the reel of Ajit Pawar's political and personal life in his mind's eye. It was a loss like no other. For the Pawar clan, a deeply personal loss. For Baramatikars, it was personal and political; they had lost a leader who knew many of them as his own.
The outpouring of grief in the wider circles too was testimony of his politics of command, compromise, and care; the corruption charges of Rs 70,000 crore in the irrigation scam were forgotten and the ‘clean chit' from the investigating agencies was hardly talked about. All said, Pawar's politics did not shift overtly even as his alliance coasted along - he did not visit the headquarters of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to “pay his respects”, he questioned the campaign of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath during the elections in 2024, and he found a way to balance his ambition for power - which could only come if he ran with the BJP - with his basic framework of non-communal, people-centred politics.
In this lies the significance of Ajit Pawar's loss to Maharashtra, perhaps even to the nation. Few will make the claim that he was among the most honest or non-corrupt leaders to have walked this soil. Besides the serious allegations in the irrigation scam, Ajit Pawar faced the central agencies' probe for misappropriation of funds in the Maharashtra State Central Cooperative Bank and the sugar factories in his control. Fewer will applaud him for sophistication of his language and thought - remember that awful remark, ‘should I pee to fill the dam if there's no water?' - and even fewer for his social skills in the chic wine-and-cheese circles. That was not his stomping ground at all. He left it to others, including cousin and MP Supriya Sule.
Ajit Pawar, The Doer
His world lay elsewhere - early morning starts, long and hard days of file-reading and signing, meetings intended to have outcomes rather than fill calendars, abjuring the spoils of power most associated with politicians, knowing his workers, forging relationships with people of his terrain, being briefed on the latest developments in the world, and more. Ajit Pawar bent over backwards to be in power; when there, he commandeered it to work for the public while helping his party, of course. Till the end, he remained a political leader whose worldview had been crafted by his early years on the ground, in the fields and homes of farmers and teachers, his learnings from his uncle's political gurus including the late YB Chavan, and his own razor-sharp judgements of situations and people.
Ajit Pawar was no saint in politics - and never claimed to be one. He was a politician with a purpose - and made no bones about it. His aspiration, even ambition, was to be the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, a post that eluded him despite he being a step away from it on many an occasion. Still, he hoped. Would he have made a big difference to the state, to its people and development? That will remain tantalisingly unanswered. Will the NCP now merge with the Sharad Pawar faction and will it continue to ally with the BJP? The answers will take their time to come.
What will matter in the years ahead, as his impact on the state in the past 40 years of public life - 25 of them in office - and the full weight of his absence is assessed by contemporary historians or political scientists is this: in 2026, Ajit Pawar was among the extremely few who understood the state's pulse, both rural and urban, and knew how to work the levers of power, but he was perhaps the only one with these qualities as well as a steadfast commitment to non-communal politics, which kept him from bowing down politically. In this sense, the void he leaves will be hard to fill.
https://heylink.me/RegisBola_deposit_cepat/
https://mez.ink/regisbola
https://biolinky.co/regisbola-piala-dunia-202
https://joy.bio/onlineh
https://campsite.bio/regisbola_piala_dunia_2026
https://lit.link/en/Xb5FuEDoo1Tgr5w3Nu8li4sdTRL2
https://linkbio.co/8011405o4fdky
https://magic.ly/RegisBola_daftar
https://hoo.be/regisbolaagenresmi
https://regisbolaligaspanyol.taplink.site/
https://linkbio.co/8011405GDAYt2
https://allmy.bio/Buku_olahraga_RegisBola
https://jali.me/RegisBola_sepak_bola
https://profu.link/u/moiramaldonado
https://litelink.at/RegisBola_Maxwin
https://link.gallery/regisbola88?rb.routing.mode=proxy&rb.routing.signature=665424&source=e653f960ab354fd4985d393c40d95429
https://g-b.io/qtfbg
https://welink.bio/RegisBola_menarik_cepat
https://allmylinks.com/regisbola-terpercaya
https://bio.site/RegisBola_terpercaya
https://linkin.bio/regisbola_resmi/
https://linkfly.to/80114aix4ePuG
https://lhub.to/RegisBola_promo_terbaru
https://allmylinks.com/regisbola-liga-italia
https://biolinky.co/regisbola-platform-resmi
https://linkbio.co/8012805eyr51b
https://regisbolaligaspanyol.taplink.ws
https://hoo.be/regisbolaapk
https://welink.bio/RegisBola_apk
https://allmylinks.com/regisbola-aplikasi
http://publications.lnu.edu.ua/journals/files/journals/8/articles/8416/submission/original/8416-10443-1-SM.html
https://layarmas.deliserdangkab.go.id/media/files/pestoto-wajah-baru-hiburan-online-di-era-digital.html
http://revistatema.facisa.edu.br/files/journals/1/articles/17872/submission/original/17872-146114-1-SM.html
https://rciims.mona.uwi.edu/user/lindseyblackburn
https://datosabiertos.sanjuan.gob.ar/user/vestaarredondo
https://satudata.manokwarikab.go.id/id/user/chantalcalderon
https://dados.ifac.edu.br/cs_CZ/user/earthagarcia
https://osisat.edu.ng/elearning/profile/gingerrosas/
https://caf.vass.gov.vn/noidung/hoidap/Lists/DanhSachCauHoi/DispForm.aspx?ID=100506
https://centennialacademy.edu.lk/members/teresitamacdonald/activity/61845/
https://www.ojs.kmutnb.ac.th/index.php/jote/comment/view/4797/0/370
http://dayawane.ihep.ac.cn/twiki/bin/view/Sandbox/MemahamiSitusTotodalamEkosistemHiburanDigital
https://learndash.aula.edu.pe/miembros/nellesmart/activity/167189/
https://mentor.khai.edu/tag/index.php?tc=1&tag=magdalenaoverton
https://amiktomakakamajene.ac.id/profile/cathieambrose/
https://tmis.mcpmed-ti.edu.eu/participant/dorrissalter/
https://onrtip.gov.jm/profile/rofevib920/
https://blac.edu.pl/profile/lindyshea/
https://www.belajar.polikpsorong.ac.id/teori/view/2339
https://datos.chduero.es/user/estelleandersen
https://www.igesi.edu.pe/miembros/bethanycormier/activity/29455/
https://edu.lincoln.edu.my/profile/delmerward/
https://mubadalah.id/members/jammiethomas/activity/15811/
http://journals.hnpu.edu.ua/files/journals/12/articles/18889/submission/original/18889-51953-1-SM.html
https://lqdoj.edu.vn/user/innoel
https://test.elit.edu.my/author/inarucker/
https://honduras.esapa.edu.ar/profile/fific32440/
http://www.iteandes.edu.co/author/jasminecannon/
https://www.polibara.ac.id/profile/fific32440/
http://idb.uwu.ac.lk/discussion/detail/482326
https://rciims.mona.uwi.edu/user/pabloknutson
https://datosabiertos.sanjuan.gob.ar/user/royhogue
https://satudata.manokwarikab.go.id/id/user/janeymcconnell
https://www.canadavideocompanies.ca/forums/users/altonwooten/
https://dumagueteinfo.com/author/mauricecrabtree/
https://www.tm-town.com///translators/evelynskaggs
https://dentaltechnician.org.uk/community/profile/serenakenny/
http://fort-raevskiy.ru/community/profile/rachaelelkins/
https://onlinevetjobs.com/author/lincolnrowland/
https://www.edna.cz/uzivatele/isaiasherbert/
https://www.openlb.net/forum/users/friedasmall/
https://www.rehashclothes.com/fabianmaldonado
https://cornucopia.se/author/mistybauer/
https://gwarminska.pl/author/travisneely/
https://everbookforever.com/share/profile/shereeblair/
https://gravesales.com/author/trevorpate/
https://www.sunlitcentrekenya.co.ke/author/phillipbowles/
http://forum.modulebazaar.com/forums/user/noahames/
https://www.facer.io/user/GjCQ7WCiLN
https://www.dualmonitorbackgrounds.com/anitrabennett/
https://www.chaloke.com/forums/users/lashawnvelasquez/
https://www.fantasyplanet.cz/diskuzni-fora/users/rhodaclarke/
http://poster.4teachers.org/worksheet/view.php?id=195494
https://tree.taiga.io/project/collinmeyers-trendo/issue/2973
https://promosimple.com/ps/44bbe/pestoto-toto-4d-online-dengan-perlindungan-keamanan-canggih
https://cannabis.net/user/207475
https://www.postcolonial.org/index.php/pct/comment/view/2768/0/3451
https://www.abclinuxu.cz/lide/travisalfaro
https://deloreshouston.amebaownd.com/posts/58491993
https://www.mobafire.com/profile/concettaochoa-1230560
https://dados.ufscar.br/uploads/user/2026-01-28-055841.867355menjelajahi-situs-toto-untuk-permainan-lotere.html
https://a7-331630219.cluster7.canvas-user-content.com/users/7~32754112/files/7~331630219/my%20files/unfiled/cara-memilih-situs-toto-online-terpercaya.html?download=1&inline=1&sf_verifier=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzUxMiJ9.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.AO5zZ9UtrITUpShL-rhtSzMVbH9-5mI2D1h0mxNGEJfjmNndnt9vs0PEGRScmxXJIXPxpbUZIZ_J32UsPAJscA&verifier=6xEY6CkNQHojcEyjrTt2v1KO9SPYF3m1GjxjWAh6
https://opendata.liberec.cz/uploads/user/2026-01-28-061107.167900situs-toto-online-bermain-aman-dan-peluang-besar.html
https://publication.lecames.org/files/journals/9/articles/35879/submission/original/35879-250839-1-SM.html
http://www.atena.org.br/revista/ojs-2.2.3-06/files/journals/22/articles/5053/submission/original/5053-10612-1-SM.html
https://gagnagatt.reykjavik.is/uploads/user/2026-01-28-061258.496675situs-toto-dijelaskan-untuk-pemula.html
https://datos.chduero.es/user/rodneyhobson
https://opendata.sobranie.mk/uploads/user/2026-01-28-061623.328177situs-toto-akses-mudah-ke-permainan-yang.html
https://wallhaven.cc/user/augusthilton
https://dokuwiki.stream/wiki/User:Helenadecker
https://yogicentral.science/wiki/User:Darrylcorona
https://nerdgaming.science/wiki/User:Trishbentley
https://hearthis.at/group/521659/barbarabusby/
https://kumu.io/jamalhurt/situs-toto-pilihan-utama-untuk-hiburan-lotere-online
https://undrtone.com/lavondunn
https://cinderella.pro/user/259614/toyanewsome/
https://datosabiertos.lastorresdecotillas.es/user/zacharybriggs
https://agridata.ansd.sn/en/user/nilsasherwood
https://catalogue.d4science.org/user/nilsasherwood
https://data.trca.ca/user/artieforeman
https://datos.estadisticas.pr/user/devonnielsen
https://www.liveinternet.ru/users/renaldovincent/post514233397
https://forums.delphiforums.com/shamsconsultant/messages/2201/1
https://community.thewho.com/member/16915-jcrichard/visitormessage/192347-visitor-message-from-jcrichard#post192347
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/people/gregpaul
https://psicoguaso.sld.cu/index.php/psicoguaso22/2022/comment/view/1/0/4568
https://krachelart.com/UserProfile/tabid/43/userId/1331100/Default.aspx
https://www.divephotoguide.com/user/lakeshacolvin
https://www.halaltrip.com/user/profile/310609/eileenswanson/
https://forum.melanoma.org/user/paolabryant/profile/
https://www.weddingbee.com/members/indowdy/
https://articlement.com/author/gracielahebert-25961/
https://cgmood.com/eliza-bartley
https://gitlab.vuhdo.io/raquelburks
https://knowyourmeme.com/users/helenecohen
https://www.montessorijobsuk.co.uk/author/zellaodom/
http://jobboard.piasd.org/author/sabramorales/
https://code.antopie.org/lorenzorudolph
https://bandori.party/user/386092/bobbylockhart/
https://easymeals.qodeinteractive.com/forums/users/hilariowoody/
https://medibulletin.com/author/traceygillis/
http://fort-raevskiy.ru/community/profile/lazaroivey/
https://dentaltechnician.org.uk/community/profile/domenicwells/
https://drivehud.com/forums/users/begixor649/
https://gamblingtherapy.org/forum/users/adansneed/
https://usdinstitute.com/author/santahoffman/
https://wayranks.com/author/mayrabanks-23575/
https://letterboxd.com/socorrogrubbs/
https://www.outlived.co.uk/author/lilianenriquez/
http://dtan.thaiembassy.de/uncategorized/2562/?mingleforumaction=profile&id=452553
https://zb3.org/kristikeller/standar-baru-untuk-hiburan-pestoto
https://imageevent.com/tressieconnelly/masadepanpermainantotoyangaman
https://www.dabble.co/teachers/marylin-medina
https://tumnig.tyuiu.ru/jour/comment/view/204/0/5735
https://hackmd.io/@andylunsford/rJXTAWUIbl
https://www.clickasnap.com/profile/tanyalaw/album/121972/desain-modern-untuk-bermain-toto?referrer=null
https://golosknig.com/profile/heatherdotson/
https://secondstreet.ru/profile/reidjamison/
https://stepik.org/users/1181869961/profile
http://www.activewin.com/user.asp?Action=Read&UserIndex=4821485
https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/techseo/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=16695&from_new_topic=1
https://writexo.com/share/009e8c90ae15
http://dayawane.ihep.ac.cn/twiki/bin/view/Sandbox/Navigasi20Cerdas20di20Platform20Toto
https://www.cbjis.ugal.ro/files/journals/1/articles/15006/submission/original/15006-136674-1-SM.html
https://securityholes.science/wiki/User_talk:Eveliaallred
https://timeoftheworld.date/wiki/User_talk:Jamalcamacho
https://historydb.date/wiki/User_talk:Shamikakeen
https://funsilo.date/wiki/User_talk:Erickahatch
https://humanlove.stream/wiki/User_talk:Devinconnelly
https://mozillabd.science/wiki/User_talk:Kathidennison
https://cameradb.review/wiki/User_talk:Brainbell
https://championsleage.review/wiki/User_talk:Olgabelcher
https://elearnportal.science/wiki/User_talk:Ivanmiller
No comments:
Post a Comment