Doubts persist over Ajit Pawar’s death in air crash, says Rohit Pawar

NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar on Saturday (February 7, 2026) said everyone has doubts about the circumstances surrounding Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s death in an air crash, and he would provide a detailed presentation about it on February 10, 2026.

Speaking to reporters after casting his vote in the Zilla Parishad polls in Baramati, the MLA said that Ajit Pawar had wished for the NCP factions to unite, and efforts towards the merger will continue.

Elections for 12 Zilla Parishads and 125 Panchayat Samitis in Maharashtra were held on Saturday (February 7, 2026) under the cloud of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s death in an air crash last month.

Ajit Pawar was killed along with four others when a Learjet 45 aircraft crashed while attempting to land at Baramati table-top air strip in Pune district on January 28, 2026.

“Everyone has questions and doubts in their minds (about the crash). I will give a presentation in Mumbai on February 10. Why the crash happened and how it might have happened, these issues will be raised on February 10,” said Rohit Pawar, nephew of the late NCP chief.

NCP (SP) and NCP have joined hands for the Zilla Parishad elections, with both contesting on the latter’s ‘clock’ symbol. Ajit Pawar headed the NCP, while his uncle Sharad Pawar is the chief of the NCP (SP).

Rohit Pawar, who represents the Karjat-Jamkhed assembly constituency in Ahilyanagar district, said that Ajit Pawar always wished for the betterment of party workers and wanted those who shared his ideology to get elected.

The late NCP chief had sincerely hoped for the merger between the two factions, he said.

“Ajit Dada sincerely wished that everyone would come together as one family, and in the same way, everyone has come together today. Dada had made efforts. We will continue to make efforts in the same manner. The family is still united,” he said.

The Opposition MLA said he will explain the intentions behind the merger on February 12.

“Why was the merger supposed to happen, and for what? What was Ajit Dada’s true intention? Whether it had a political dimension or an emotional one? I will explain it on February 12,” he said.