Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday described the death of his fellow Deputy CM Ajit Pawar as sad and unfortunate and said the aircraft accident that claimed his life will be probed.
Speaking to reporters, Shinde lauded the contribution of Pawar, who served as his colleague in different cabinets and was also his deputy when he helmed the government from 2022 to 2024.
"It is a very painful incident...very sad and unfortunate for Maharashtra. The aircraft accident will be probed," he said.
"This loss is not just of the Pawar family but of the entire state. I am feeling as if I have lost my elder brother," Shinde added.
Pawar, 66, and four other persons were killed after the aircraft carrying them crashed in Pune district on Wednesday morning, officials said.
Shinde said Pawar had a pure mind and was a very straightforward, fearless leader, with a grip on administration. He recalled how Pawar, as the then finance minister, made fiscal arrangements when his government (in 2024) decided to roll out the Ladki Bahin Yojana, which provides a monthly assistance of Rs 1,500 to women in the state.
"We (Shinde, Pawar and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis) worked as a team," Shinde said.