Ajit Pawar’s last phone call was on communal unity

The call was made by the former deputy chief minister and NCP chief to a party functionary in Baramati, where he was to land, to campaign for upcoming elections. “We are taking all the castes and communities together,” Ajit Pawar is heard saying in an audio clip released to the media on Wednesday.

The audio recording has been released by the NCP just three days ahead of the third phase of local body elections, to zilla parishads and panchayat samitis, across the state.

Shrijeet Pawar said in Baramati that he had received a call from the NCP chief at 8.37am, minutes before the plane crashed near the Baramati airstrip. A relative of Ajit Pawar, he shared a screenshot of his phone log, saying the NCP leader had probably called him in response to a text message he had sent him earlier that morning. In his message, Shrijeet had suggested that the Mali (gardener) community be given representation in the upcoming zilla parishad elections.