BARAMATI: The clock seemed to stop at 8.44am on Wednesday for Baramatikars. Their favourite son, Ajit Pawar, a stickler for time, died then trying to keep his date with his hometown for the last time.Baramatikars’ hearts had first broken when Ajit Pawar split from Sharad Pawar. Grown up men wept openly at chowks as the information about his plane crash started trickling in. Shopkeepers pulled down shutters as soon as the news spread, and vibrant Baramati — a taluka widely known as a city in the country — slipped into mourning.The town had shown its allegiance to patriarch Sharad Pawar in the first election after the NCP split in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and to Ajit Pawar in the assembly elections later in the year. Even if votes were divided, the love for the Pawars in their constituency remained unquestioned. On Wednesday, grief united everyone.The villageRoads leading to Baramati were crowded with vehicles, VIP convoys and police pilot vehicles. But along the way, there was hardly anyone on the streets. Shops were closed. Villages and towns appeared unable to come to terms with the tragedy.Yellow police tape had cordoned off a perimeter around the crash site, metres away from the tabletop runway of Baramati airport. Veering off the main road, a non-metallic road encircled the runway. The smell of gasoline permeated the air, indicating something was wrong in the picturesque area surrounded by sugarcane fields under blue skies.The first thing spotted was the tail of the aircraft. Then mangled cables. A few metres away was the engine, and finally, a tyre. Papers lay strewn across the crash site, as Ajit Dada was known to work even on the move.Police personnel, forensic department officials and health workers sat on the runway as helicopters arrived one by one with VIPs. People from far and wide, including grief-stricken residents of the area, party workers and outsiders thronged the site ever since the news broke.Anita Atole, an eyewitness to the crash, summed up the mood: “We saw the crash, smoke, everything. Even when we were told Dada was one of the travellers, we kept hoping against hope. It was heartbreaking when it was confirmed.” Pawars’ townBack in the heart of the town, a pall of gloom descended on everyone. Many houses had locks on them by the afternoon. Katewadi, his village, was deserted as everyone came to Baramati to pay respects. Many people did not eat or drink water, and kept waiting for Dada till late.In the Assembly elections in 2024, Ajit Pawar was anointed the undisputed heir of Baramati, a Sharad Pawar stronghold since 1967. Ajit Pawar’s grassroots work has been a cornerstone of his popularity. Dada was the term Baramatikars had given him out of affection.Aishwarya Nimgire (27) said she left the utensils she was washing in the morning when the first talk of something happening to Dada began circulating. “Till then, I just knew it was an accident. Then came the message that he was no more, and our world crashed.”Nimgire was with her two-and-a-half-year-old son Arjun and husband Pappu at Vidya Pratishthan’s ground to bid Ajit Pawar farewell. When asked who he had come to meet, her son Arjun said, “Dada.”Atul Khatmode, a farmer, said, “In Baramati, Dada is like God. I could not get work done despite visiting government offices multiple times. I met Dada and he immediately instructed his people to get it done. He would meet people anywhere. Even if he was in a vehicle and we stood nearby on the road, he would roll down his window to ask our whereabouts, or stop the vehicle if he had time. If a work can be done, he would say it can be done and if it can’t be, he would say it can’t be done. He would not keep you hanging.”Shehbaz Bagwan (23) said Ajit Pawar never cared about caste or religion. “Who will solve Baramati’s problems from now on? He is irreplaceable. If Sharad Pawar made the foundation of Baramati strong, the building was built on it by Dada. Look at the roads, schools, hospitals… we have everything here that a city has.”Businessman Ashok Patil said, “When we went to Mumbai to meet him, he would admonish us for wasting time and money. He would say, ‘when I am in Baramati, why can’t you meet me there?”Ganesh Jagtap, a school teacher, said: “He never liked wrong things. He hated people who came drunk or with tobacco in their teeth. He was a stickler for time and cleanliness. Even a leaf would not move in Baramati without his knowledge.”NCP worker Aditya Wagh said, “Meeting him was a big deal for outsiders. For Baramatikars, he was like a member of the family. Hence this outpouring. It feels like a family member has gone.”Aditya Solanki, a Baramati NCP worker, said, “He never looked at party affiliations when anyone sought his help. Such politicians have become rare in Maharashtra. Hence, his death is a big loss for the state and its secular politics. He was the secular leader in the coalition.”Hospital to Vidya PratishthanA large number of people rushed to Punya Shlok Ahilya Devi Hospital, where the plane crash victims were taken. Slogans like “Ekach Wada Ajit Dada” and “Ajit Dada Amar Rahe” echoed on the hospital premises. As his body came to the ground of Vidya Pratishthan around 7.40pm, “Ajit Dada Amar Rahe” and “Ekach Wada Ajit Dada” slogans rang in the air.In a white ambulance with garlands around it and clear glass panels, Dada’s body arrived with Jay Pawar and Parth Pawar, Ajit Pawar’s sons, to the steps leading to the ground. People refused to move, thronging the area and climbing trees to catch a glimpse of the famous son of the soil. Police struggled to control the emotional crowd.A peon at Vidya Pratishthan said, “The place was open and filled with students… lectures were on… suddenly messages started circulating. Students were told to leave and the college was shut down.”Ajit Pawar’s final rites would be held on the same ground at 11am on Thursday.From far & wide“Pune Zilla Parishad got the third prize in the chief minister’s 100-day programme. We went to meet Dada to show the certificate. He said it was good but you should be first. That was his style. He was a perfectionist,” said Pavan Yekhe from Pune.Sachin Salunkhe from Pune, who took off from work to visit Baramati, said: “He meant a lot to us. Our education and everything is because of him. What Sharad Pawar is to the older generation, he is to us.”Mansur Patel, a BJP worker who came from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, said: “He cared about his workers… he would help even the smallest worker. He never thought of Muslims and Hindus… he cared about development. His experience was big… he did many things through experience.”