‘Deceiving people by making promises wasn’t his style’: Raj Thackeray pays tribute to Ajit Pawar

Mumbai: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has described Ajit Pawar’s death in a plane crash as a devastating loss for the state, praising the late Deputy Chief Minister as a leader defined by honesty, administrative skill and independence of thought.

Posting a heartfelt tribute on X just hours after the tragedy in Baramati, Thackeray said Maharashtra’s politics had lost “an outstanding leader” who left a deep imprint across the state. He recalled that both he and Pawar entered politics around the same time, and while Pawar was initially shaped by the influence of his uncle Sharad Pawar, he went on to establish his own distinct identity.

Reflecting on Pawar’s career, Thackeray noted his ability to adapt to Maharashtra’s shifting political landscape during the 1990s, when rural areas began to urbanise. Ajit Pawar understood this transition better than most and managed it with adept skill, he wrote, pointing to Pimpri Chinchwad and Baramati as examples of regions transformed under Pawar’s leadership — achievements even his rivals acknowledged.

Thackeray also praised Pawar’s administrative acumen, saying he had a rare ability to cut through bureaucratic delays. “He was a leader with a precise grip on administration and an exact knowledge of where to untangle the knots in a file to resolve it. In an era when administration must rise above those in power, it is extremely tragic that Maharashtra has lost such a leader,” he added.

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The MNS chief described Pawar as a man of candour who never misled people with false promises. “If something couldn't be done, he'd say it to your face, and if it could, he'd put all his energy into it. Deceiving people by making promises and surrounding himself with crowds wasn't his style. In politics, one has to pay a price for straightforwardness and candor—I know that from experience, and one can imagine how much Ajit Pawar must have had to pay for it,” Thackeray observed.

He further highlighted Pawar’s rejection of caste-based politics, calling him a leader who engaged without bias at a time when such courage is increasingly rare.

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Thackeray said politics should be about ideological differences, not personal attacks. “Opposition in politics is political, not personal. That's why leaders in Maharashtra who keep in mind that poisonous criticism of each other shouldn't be taken personally are becoming fewer. The successive departure of generous opponents from politics is a great loss to Maharashtra's fine political tradition,” he wrote.

Concluding his tribute, Thackeray said, “My family and I share in the grief of the Pawar family. On behalf of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, heartfelt tribute to Ajit Pawar.”