3 min readMumbaiFeb 5, 2026 11:05 AM IST
First published on: Feb 4, 2026 at 11:45 AM IST
Even as questions continue over whether the plane crash that killed Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was an accident or an act of sabotage, a recording of a phone call he made just six minutes before the crash has now emerged.
Ajit Pawar had spoken to his cousin and party worker Shrijit Pawar shortly before the aircraft went down at Baramati airport on January 28, 2026. Shrijit Pawar played the recording at a press conference on Tuesday, saying the call was made in response to a message he had sent Ajit Pawar about local election related issues.
Shrijit Pawar said he had messaged Ajit Pawar suggesting that the Mali community be given representation in district council elections. Ajit Pawar then called him directly from the aircraft to clarify the matter.
“He told me that we are taking all communities along with us. I wanted the world to know that till his last breath, he worked with everyone, across caste and religion. ‘We must move forward taking everyone together’ was his last message and his last voice,” Shrijit Pawar said.
He added that Ajit Pawar would always respond personally to messages and calls. “Whenever I had a problem, I would message him and he would call me back. Even today, while he was in the aircraft, he called me. Not only me, he would reply to anyone who called or messaged him,” he said.
An excerpt from the phone conversation was also shared.
Ajit Pawar said, “We do not do things without information. We take all castes and communities along with us.”
Shrijit Pawar said, “Ajit dada, I only shared what I felt with you.”
Ajit Pawar replied, “I agree, you are right. But I have already given a district council ticket to the Mali community. That seat falls under OBC reservation. Other parties have given different candidates. We have done our part.”
Shrijit Pawar responded, “Dada, you take the final decision you think is right.”
Addressing doubts over why the call recording sounded incomplete, Shrijit Pawar said Ajit Pawar had directly begun speaking on the issue without formal greetings because he had already read the message and recognised the caller’s number. “That is why the recording is only this much,” he said.
Ajit Pawar was travelling from Mumbai to Baramati on January 28, 2026, for campaigning in the Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections. His aircraft was scheduled to land at Baramati airport at 8.45 am.
According to officials, the pilot failed to land the aircraft on the first attempt. After circling once, the aircraft made a second attempt to land but veered off the runway and crashed in an open area near the airstrip.
Ajit Pawar and five others were killed on the spot.
The crash is under investigation.
Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash on January 28. (File Photo) 
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