Inheritance in the Ashes

After Ajit Pawar’s death, Rohit Pawar moves swiftly to claim moral authority, and perhaps the future of a fractured dynasty.

When the tragic plane crash near Baramati on January 28 killed Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister, Ajit Pawar, the immediate focus was on loss. But in the days that followed, the attention has inevitably shifted to succession and the future of the Nationalist Congress Party, regardless of the factions. At the centre of it all stands Rohit Pawar, Ajit’s nephew and grandnephew of clan patriarch Sharad Pawar.

Within hours of the tragedy, Rohit, the MLA from Karjat-Jamkhed and an assertive face of the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), began mobilising by writing letters to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu, and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), demanding that a stern inquiry into his uncle’s death be mounted by central agencies.

He has since demanded Naidu’s resignation, alleging financial links between the minister’s party and the company that operated the ill-fated aircraft. He questioned whether powerful interests were being shielded. He has called for criminal scrutiny beyond the technical investigation of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, insisting that the public deserved answers.

Through all this frenetic activity, the unmistakable message was that Rohit was not just a bereaved nephew but a politician seizing the moral high ground.

In doing so, Rohit revealed a great deal about his political instinct. The Pawar family has long dominated Maharashtra’s cooperative networks and rural institutions. But since the 2023 split within the NCP that was engineered by Ajit’s rebellion and subsequent alignment with the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti, the dynasty’s coherence has been under strain.

Ajit’s death removes a rival pole of authority within the clan. A youthful Rohit Pawar appears determined to ensure that the vacuum does not linger.

His positioning has been careful. Publicly, he has spoken with great emotion about Ajit Pawar, remarking that “Dada raised me like a son.” He recounted his uncle’s tears and his alleged desire to reconcile with Sharad Pawar.

Such recollections subtly reinforcing Rohit’s proximity to both the deceased and the patriarch. Yet Rohit’s claim to leadership rests on more than sentiment. Unlike many dynasts, he arrived in politics through business and grassroots work. At 21 he became chief executive of Baramati Agro Ltd, expanding its footprint in agribusiness and water management. He later served as president of the Indian Sugar Mills Association, an influential body in a state where sugar is both crop and currency.

His family’s roots in Baramati’s agricultural and educational institutions run deep. His grandfather, Dr Appasaheb Pawar, was a respected agriculturalist; his father heads rural development trusts; his mother works closely with women’s groups.

His political ascent has been steady rather than meteoric. He entered public life via the Pune Zilla Parishad in 2017 and won the Karjat-Jamkhed assembly seat in 2019 with a comfortable margin, defeating BJP leader Ram Shinde. The same year, his cousin Parth Pawar – Ajit’s son – had lost heavily in his electoral debut from the Maval Lok Sabha seat. Parth’s loss only served to strengthened Rohit’s hand as a far more capable and connected leader.

The rupture within the NCP accelerated his transformation from promising youth to principal lieutenant. As Ajit broke ranks, Rohit became the visible shadow of Sharad Pawar in defending the senior leader, attacking the rebels and confronting the ruling coalition led by Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and the BJP. His aggression came at a cost when he received summons from the Enforcement Directorate over alleged irregularities at Baramati Agro, a reminder that political visibility invites scrutiny. But to supporters, this only burnished his image as a target of vendetta by the ruling government.

Crucially, Rohit does not carry the baggage that trailed his uncle. Ajit Pawar was admired for administrative toughness but feared for his temper and transactional politics, not to mention the cloud of corruption he was under. In contrast, Rohit projects a softer demeanour - of one who is approachable, articulate and careful not to publicly disparage his elders. During the 2024 Lok Sabha election, he had campaigned vigorously for his aunt, Supriya Sule, while tactfully sidestepping questions about family rivalries as Sule was pitted against Ajit Pawar’s wife, Sunetra Pawar.

By demanding accountability and questioning the handling of the investigation, Rohit has placed himself at the centre of the narrative. In a State accustomed to theatrical politics, Rohit Pawar has framed himself as both grieving heir and crusader for transparency.