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Schools in Maharashtra shut till Jan 30 amid 3-day state mourning after Ajit Pawar’s death

Speaking at a press conference in Mumbai, Fadnavis said that they have declared a state holiday and announced three days of mourning.

2 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jan 29, 2026 08:59 AM IST

Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash early on Wednesday. (Express Photo)

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on January 29 declared a state holiday and three days of mourning following the death of Deputy CM Ajit Pawar in a plane crash earlier in the day. Speaking at a press conference in Mumbai, Fadnavis said that they have declared a state holiday and announced three days of mourning, reports news agency ANI.

Additionally, the University of Mumbai has rescheduled the exams scheduled to be held today, January 28, in the afternoon session amid the demise of the Deputy Chief Minister.

Releasing an official statement, the University said: “The Principals of affiliated colleges in Commerce and Management, Arts and Education, and the Director, Centre for Distance and Online Education (CDOE), are hereby informed that the examinations scheduled for the afternoon of January 28, 2026 have been rescheduled due to the sad demise of Shri Ajit Ashatai Anantrao Pawar, Honourable Deputy Chief Minister, Government of Maharashtra, on Wednesday, January 28, 2026.”

The revised examination schedule will be announced later, it added.

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As per the DGCA, Pawar was with “2 more personnel (1 PSO and 1 attendant) and 2 crew (PIC+FO) members”. They were on board a Learjet 45 aircraft, operated by VSR Aviation. The plane was landing at Baramati airport when it crashed, sources said, adding that the aircraft had a seating capacity of six, including the pilot.

Pawar was en route from Mumbai to Pune to attend four campaign rallies for the ongoing Zilla Parishad elections. Elections to 12 Zilla Parishads and 125 Panchayat Samitis in Maharashtra will be held on February 5, with counting of votes scheduled for February 7.