Raj Thackeray pays tribute to his friend Ajit Pawar after tragic plane crash

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena MNS chief Raj Thackeray on Wednesday expressed deep grief over the death of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit PawarAjit Pawar on Wednesday at around 9 am lost his life in a tragic plane crash in Baramati My friend and Deputy Chief Minister of the state Ajit Pawar has passed away hellip pictwittercomyIjUC255Afmdash Raj Thackeray RajThackeray January 28 2026While referring to Ajit Pawar as his close friend MNS chief Raj Thackeray in a heartfelt condolence message shared on social media said that Pawar was an ldquooutstanding leaderrdquo and a towering figure in Maharashtrarsquos political landscapeWhile writing a heartfelt message on social media Raj Thackeray wrote ldquoMy friend and Deputy Chief Minister of the state Ajit Pawar has passed away Maharashtras politics has lost an outstanding leaderrdquoSignifying his close relations with Ajit Pawar Raj Thackeray also added ldquoAjit Pawar and I entered politics around the same time though our acquaintance came much later But on the strength of his sheer passion for politics Ajit Pawar took great strides in Maharashtras political arenardquoWhile hailing Ajit Pawarrsquos political stature and how he made his way through the ranks Raj Thackeray said ldquoThough Ajit Pawar was a leader forged in the mold of Pawar Saheb he later carved out his own independent identity And he imprinted that identity in every nook and corner of MaharashtrardquoRaj Thackeray also addressed Ajit Pawar as a towering figure and admirable administrator with a sharp grasp of governance The MNS chief said that the Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister possessed clarity in resolving bureaucratic challenges and believed in straightforward honest politics which is quite rare in the political spectrum Raj Thackeray praises Ajit Pawarrsquos governanceHailing Pawarrsquos candor simplicity and fearlessness in decisionmaking Raj also wrote ldquoAjit Pawar had a complete grasp of this kind of politics and the skill to handle it adeptly Pimpri Chinchwad and Baramati are two excellent examples of that Whether it was Pimpri Chinchwad or Baramati Ajit Dada transformed these regions in ways that even his political opponents would acknowledgerdquoMNS chief refers to Ajit Pawar as his friend despite being political rivalsRaj Thackeray while remembering his dear friend also said that political rivalries are not personal and the sudden demise of a prominent leader like Ajit Pawar is surely an extremely unfortunate incidentWhile concluding his social media post Raj wrote ldquoOpposition in politics is political not personal Thats why leaders in Maharashtra who keep in mind that poisonous criticism of each other shouldnt be taken personally are becoming fewer The successive departure of generous opponents from politics is a great loss to Maharashtrarsquos fine political traditionrdquo