Pune: The Pune District Auto-Rickshaw Drivers–Owners Association and all auto-rickshaw unions in Pune city have announced that they will not be taking fares from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm on Thursday, in tribute to Deputy Chief Minister and Pune’s Guardian Minister Ajit Pawar.
The decision to suspend auto-rickshaw services for the day has been taken unanimously by the Pune District Auto-Rickshaw Drivers–Owners Association and all auto-rickshaw unions in Pune city, as a mark of respect and to offer a heartfelt tribute to Ajit Pawar. All auto-rickshaw services will remain shut from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm on 29/01/2026.
Last rites in Baramati
Ajit Pawar’s last rites will be held on Thursday in Baramati. His mortal remains will be taken to Vidya Pratishthan, an institution closely associated with his public life, before cremation. Thousands of supporters, party workers and leaders are expected to gather to bid farewell to a leader whose political journey left a lasting imprint on Maharashtra.
At 66, Ajit Pawar was Maharashtra’s longest serving Deputy Chief Minister, having held the position six times under different political dispensations. His career spanned several governments, including those led by Prithviraj Chavan, Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde.
Ajit Pawar and four other persons on board an aircraft were killed after it crashed near the Baramati airport. Pawar had taken off from Mumbai in the morning to address four rallies in the day in Pune district for the February 5 zilla parishad elections. The plane crash-landed near the runway threshold, killing all five. Among the deceased were his personal security officer, a flight attendant and two pilots.
