MUMBAI: Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) MP Supriya Sule remembered former Maharashtra deputy chief minister and her cousin, the late Ajit Pawar, on the occasion of

Raksha Bandhan

on Friday.In a heartfelt post on X, Supriya Sule recalled her bond with Ajit Pawar since childhood.

Expressing grief over his death, she said the “void created by his absence can never be filled.

”

She wrote, "Dear Dada, today is Raksha Bandhan... but this time, you're not with us, and this realisation is making my heart deeply restless. That horrific morning seven months ago and your sudden departure... even today, I can't bring myself to believe it.""From childhood, growing up together, our fights, the love we shared for each other, and the pride we felt in one another--these were the foundation of our bond.

Even now, it feels like you'll suddenly appear from somewhere, let me tie the rakhi on you, chat and laugh with your sisters, and immerse yourself back into the family. The void created by your absence can never be filled. Wherever you are, may your love and blessings always remain by my side forever," the post read.Ajit Pawar died on the morning of January 28 after the Learjet 45 aircraft (VT-SSK) carrying him crashed while attempting to land at Baramati airport in Pune district.

The aircraft went down near the runway threshold, killing all five people on board.The deceased included Pawar, his personal security officer, a flight attendant and two pilots. He was travelling from Mumbai to Baramati to campaign for the Zilla Panchayat elections.Ajit Pawar, Maharashtra's longest-serving deputy chief minister, was among the most prominent leaders in the state. He served in the position for six terms within various governments. He had worked as deputy chief minister in the cabinets of Prithviraj Chavan, Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde.(With agency inputs)