Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, centre, and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde mourn the demise of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who died in a plane crash, in Baramati. “After Ajit Pawar’s death, the NCP would be like a rudderless ship. Sharad Pawar is in his twilight years and several leaders could eventually gravitate towards the BJP,” said an NCP leader from Pune. The immediate challenge before the party is to identify a successor to Ajit to lead his faction. The BJP-led Mahayuti government has two major allies — the Shiv Sena faction led by Shinde and the NCP faction headed by Ajit.

Source: The Telegraph January 29, 2026 01:27 UTC