3 minutes of readingBombayFebruary 4, 2026 11:45 am IST
Even as doubts continue over whether the plane crash that killed Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was either an accident or an act of sabotage, as a recording of a phone call he made just six minutes before the accident has now emerged.
Ajit Pawar had spoken to his cousin and party worker Shrijit Pawar shortly before the plane crashed at the 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 to Ajit Pawar on issues related to the local elections.
Shrijit Pawar said that he had sent a message to Ajit Pawar suggesting that the Mali community be represented in the district council elections. Later, Ajit Pawar called him directly from the plane to clarify the matter.
“He told me that we would take all communities with us. He wanted the world to know that till his last breath, he worked with everyone, irrespective of caste and religion. ‘We must move forward by uniting everyone’ was his last message and his last voice,” Shrijit Pawar said.
He added that Ajit Pawar would always personally respond to messages and calls. “Every time I had a problem, I would text him and he would call me back. Even today, while I was on the plane, he called me. Not just me, he would respond to anyone who called him or texted him,” she said.
An excerpt of the telephone conversation was also shared.
Ajit Pawar said, “We don’t do things without information. We take all castes and communities with us.”
Shrijit Pawar said, “Ajit dada, I just shared with you what I felt.”
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Ajit Pawar replied, “I agree, you are right. But I have already given a district council ticket to the Mali community. That seat is under OBC reservation. Other parties have fielded different candidates. We have done our part.”
Shrijit Pawar replied, “Dad, take the final decision that you think is right.”
Addressing questions about why the call recording sounded incomplete, Shrijit Pawar said that Ajit Pawar had directly started talking about the issue without formal greetings because he had already read the message and recognized the caller’s number. “That’s why the recording is just this,” he said.
Ajit Pawar was traveling from Bombay to Baramati on January 28, 2026, for campaigning in the Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections. His plane was due to land at Baramati airport at 8.45 am.
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According to officials, the The pilot failed to land the plane. on the first try. After circling, the plane made a second attempt to land but skidded off the runway and crashed in an open area near the runway.
Ajit Pawar and five others died on the spot.
The accident is under investigation.