Ajit Pawar had just hoisted the tricolour on Republic Day; Internet reflects on how unpredictable life can be
Ajit Pawar had just hoisted the tricolour on Republic Day, a moment that fans reflected on hours after his death. They wrote about how uncertain life can be.
Ajit Pawar, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister, and four others were killed after the aircraft they were travelling in crash-landed in Baramati, Maharashtra, on Wednesday morning. The incident happened as the plane was attempting to land in the Baramati area. The small charter aircraft had taken off from Mumbai at around 8 am and went down near Baramati airport about 45 minutes later during the landing attempt.
As the country mourned the death of the NCP leader, the internet reflected on life's uncertainty on his last Instagram post. In the same, Pawar was seen celebrating Republic Day and hoisting the tricolour at an event.
Ajit Pawar had celebrated Republic Day in patriotic fervour
Ajit Pawar’s last Instagram post was from January 26. The late NCP leader was seen hoisting the tricolour, delivering a speech, and saluting India’s youth, evoking a strong sense of patriotism. Take a look:
On January 27, he shared two Instagram stories. In the same, Pawar had listed key Cabinet decisions of the Maharashtra government dated January 27, 2026. It focused on boosting skills, employment, industry and investment, including expanding industrial training under the PM Skill and Employability scheme, support for MSMEs, public works reforms, revival of the handloom sector, and measures related to stamp duty, land records and registration fee relief. The texts were written in Marathi.
His followers took to the comment section of his Republic Day post and reflected on life's uncertainty. They expressed their grief for their beloved 'Dada's' passing. Some also wrote about how they were still waiting for the news to come across as untrue. Others wrote about how "legends never die".
Ajit Pawar's last X post
Just before the plane crash incident, an X (formerly Twitter) post paying tribute to the legendary freedom fighter Lala Lajpat Rai on his birth anniversary was posted from Pawar's profile. “On this, his birth anniversary, humble salutations to the great freedom fighter, proclaimer of Swaraj, and ‘Punjab Kesari’ Lala Lajpat Rai Ji, who dedicated his all to the nation’s independence! His patriotism shall forever continue to inspire us,” read the translated tweet. The freedom fighter was born on January 28, 1865. Take a look:
Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash
Visuals from the crash site showed thick smoke and flames rising from the wreckage of the aircraft. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation confirmed that all five passengers on board died in the crash. Rescue operations were launched immediately, with ambulances and emergency teams rushing to the spot.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several other political leaders have conveyed their condolences over the tragic death of the Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced three days of state mourning.
Also read: Ajit Pawar dies in plane crash: Kangana Ranaut, Riteish Deshmukh, Pawan Kalyan, others express grief