Ajit Pawar's state funeral to be held on THIS date; PM Modi, Amit Shah likely to attend

Mumbai: The last rites of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who died on Wednesday after a plane crashed while landing in Baramati, will be conducted at 11 am on Thursday at Vidya Pratishthan ground in Baramati.

Where will the funeral happen?

The mortal remains of the Nationalist Congress Party leader, who died due to the plane crash, are being transported to the Vidya Pratishthan grounds in Baramati, where they will be available for public viewing. 

The arrangement will allow about thousands of supporters to pay their final respects to the six-time deputy CM  before the funeral rites at Vidya Pratishthan.

Who all will attend the funeral?

Many prominent leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are likely to attend the funeral.

What did Fadnavis say?

On Wednesday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis declared three-day state mourning. 

The announcement was made by Fadnavis while addressing the media at his official residence, Varsha, and he also expressed grief over the sudden death of the NCP leader. 

Fadnavis said that the state government has also declared a public holiday on Wednesday to pay tribute and respect to Ajit Pawar.

Later, Governor Acharya Devvrat, CM Fadnavis and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde met Sunetra Pawar, wife of Ajit Pawar, in Baramati.

How did the accident happen?

The aircraft, a Learjet 45, which took off from Mumbai at around 8 am, crashed while attempting an emergency landing at Baramati airport. 

Who was on board?

According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) statement, the 66-year-old leader was onboard along with two personnel, one PSO and one attendant, and two crew members, the Pilot-in-Command (PIC) and the First Officer (FO).

"As per initial information, no person on board has survived the crash," DGCA said.

What is the reason for the plane crash?

The DGCA and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will investigate the reason behind the plane crash.