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The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Wednesday released the audio recording of Ajit Pawar’s final phone conversation, offering a poignant glimpse into the veteran leader’s last moments and the values he continued to emphasise until the end. Ajit Pawar, 66, died in a tragic plane crash on January 28 when the aircraft he was travelling in went down while attempting to land near Baramati airport.

The call was made shortly before take-off from Mumbai, as Pawar was heading to Baramati. The conversation was with Shrijeet Pawar, a party member who hails from the same village and had long shared a close rapport with the senior leader.

A Final Call Before Take-Off

According to the NCP, the phone call took place after Shrijeet Pawar had sent a message to Ajit Pawar. The leader reportedly returned the call once his phone regained network connectivity. In the audio, Ajit Pawar, widely known as “Dada” across Maharashtra’s political landscape, spoke about unity and representation, reiterating his belief in inclusive politics that cuts across caste and religious lines.

“He told me that we are taking all communities along with us,” Shrijeet Pawar recalled while speaking about the conversation, as per a report on NDTV. The party said the decision to release the audio was taken so the public could hear Pawar’s own words and understand what guided him even in his final hours.

'We Also Take All Castes and Religions Along With Us'

The audio clip captures a brief but meaningful exchange between the two. Ajit Pawar was heard saying that they took all castes and religions along with them. In response, Shrijeet Pawar replied that he had only expressed what he felt. Ajit Pawar then added that the Mali community had been given representation in the Zilla Parishad from the Supe group and that efforts had been made to give justice to everyone, reported Free Press Journal. The conversation concluded with Shrijeet Pawar stating that Ajit Dada should take whatever decision he thought was right.

Later, Shrijeet Pawar remarked that this was to ensure Maharashtra knew what Ajit Dada had stood for until his last breath, underlining the party’s view that the audio reflected Pawar’s lifelong commitment to equality and social balance.

Political Legacy & Aftermath

Ajit Pawar was Maharashtra’s longest-serving Deputy Chief Minister, having held the post six times under governments led by Prithviraj Chavan, Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray, and Eknath Shinde. Known for his administrative grip and mass appeal, he remained a central figure in state politics for decades.

Following his death, his wife Sunetra Pawar was sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister and appointed Guardian Minister of Pune, a responsibility Ajit Pawar himself had handled for several years. The release of the audio has added an emotional layer to the public mourning, reinforcing the image of a leader who, even in his final moments, spoke about inclusiveness and collective progress.