The air in Baramati was thick with grief when Sharad Pawar, NCP (SP) supremo, arrived to honor his late nephew Ajit Pawar, Maharashtra’s former Deputy CM who lost his life in a January 28 plane accident. Visibly distraught, Pawar leaned on guards to reach the memorial portrait, offering a silent, profound tribute that moved everyone present.
At the somber assembly in Sahyog Society, key family figures like Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar, Parth, Jay, Srinivas, and Rohit Pawar joined hands in mourning. Sharad mingled with condolence-offerers, but eyes were on his unprecedented post-Sunetra-oath rendezvous, fueling whispers of reconciliation or realignment.
Waves of sorrow have swept Maharashtra since the crash, drawing a steady stream of leaders and admirers to the Pawar bastion. Fresh from Mumbai duties, Sharad conducted vital huddles with kin and Vidya Pratishthan stakeholders, balancing legacy-building with bereavement.
Fielding press queries, he stonewalled on Sunetra’s appointment, prioritizing border security and national safety. Dismissing Fadnavis’ merger overtures, Pawar retorted that only Patil and Ajit were in the loop—’Fadnavis had no role, and certainly no right to opine during our family’s darkest hour.’
This chapter in Pawar saga blends heartache with high-stakes politics, as Maharashtra watches the family’s next moves.