Six times Ajit Pawar proved he was a person of action

Like clockwork

Known for his punctuality, Ajit would often express disappointment if anyone came late, including bureaucrats. He also disliked people barging into his cabin without appointments. He once told senior journalists that it was unfair to others who travel from distant places for specific work. “I don’t like to keep people waiting,” he’d say.

Going the extra mile

In 2022, when Ajit Pawar became the leader of the opposition in the state legislative assembly, BJP-Shiv Sena ministers would hope he would never ask questions. Irrespective of which department it was, Ajit Pawar would always end up giving more information and solutions to question raised in the assembly. Unlike other LoPs, he played a constructive role in the Lower House.

 

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Raised among elites

Groomed under Sharad Pawar, Ajit had been imbibing politics since his high school days. He had once revealed how in the good old days when his uncle was already well-established in politics, Ajit Pawar would often walk with tea trays, serving the who’s who at home. “In olden days it was not unusual for us to serve the guests. It was not left to servants,” he has said.

Early start

On another occasion, he had described how some of his rural friends and he campaigned for Sharad Pawar in Baramati. “We took the job so seriously that my uncle actually won with a much higher margin,” he had revealed proudly.

Brutally honest

Though aggressive, Ajit never projected himself as a Maratha leader like Maharashtra Deputy chief Minister Eknath Shinde. At the peak of the Maratha agitation, he had once admonished a group of well-to-do young turks saying, “You are demanding reservation on the basis of economically backward caste. It is alright. But should you not be mindful when you splurge lakhs of rupees on wedding? At times you make your family sell agricultural land to show your power during marriage. When will I think about these issues?”