Months before his death in the tragic plane crash, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar had publicly recalled a nerve-wracking helicopter journey through dense clouds — an anecdote delivered with humour that has now resurfaced with haunting resonance.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who was killed in a plane crash on Wednesday, had once spoken about the tense moments he experienced while flying in a helicopter to Gadchiroli amid poor weather conditions in July 2024.

The anecdote, narrated in Pawar’s trademark humorous style, was shared during a public function in Gadchiroli, where he had arrived by helicopter from Nagpur along with then deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Industries Minister Uday Samant.

A video of the speech has resurfaced on social media following Pawar’s death.

Recalling the journey, Pawar said visibility dropped sharply once the helicopter entered thick cloud cover.

“When we started from Nagpur in the helicopter, it was fine at first. But later, when the helicopter entered the clouds, I looked this way and that way — there were clouds everywhere. And our Devendra Fadnavis was just sitting there, casually chatting,” he said.

Pawar told the gathering he grew increasingly nervous as nothing was visible outside.

“I told him — ‘Look outside, we can’t see anything, no trees, no ground, nothing. We are flying blindly through the clouds. Where are we even going?’” Pawar recalled.

According to him, Fadnavis remained unfazed and reassured him calmly.

“Don’t worry at all. I have experienced six such incidents so far. Whenever I am in a helicopter or a plane and an accident occurs, nothing happens to me. So, nothing will happen to you either,” Pawar quoted him as saying.

The veteran leader said the response only added to his anxiety.

“I thought to myself — ‘My goodness, what is he saying? I already had a sinking feeling in my stomach! Today is Ashadhi Ekadashi, so I was constantly chanting ‘Panduranga, Panduranga’ in my mind. And here was this ‘Maharaj’ giving me advice,” he said.

Pawar added that the reassurance eventually helped him relax and that the journey ended safely.

“It is the good deeds of his elders that we reached here safely… those good deeds helped us,” he said.

He concluded the anecdote by noting that all aboard had been shaken.

“Uday Samant was sitting to my right and said, ‘Dada, Dada, look! The ground is finally visible.’ I said — ‘Thank God, we can see the ground now!’ Jokes apart, everyone must take care,” Pawar said.

The incident had occurred on July 17, 2024, when the leaders were travelling to Gadchiroli for the foundation stone-laying ceremony of Surjagad Ispat Pvt Ltd.

Pawar (66) and four others were killed after a plane carrying them crashed in Baramati town in Maharashtra's Pune district on Wednesday morning.