India, Jan. 29 -- Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, who died in a tragic plane crash on Wednesday, leaves behind an indelible imprint on Pimpri-Chinchwad-one of the state's most prominent industrial and urban centres that he helped shape over more than three decades of public life.

While Baramati remained the political base that nurtured Pawar's rise, Pimpri-Chinchwad was the city where his development-driven politics found its most visible expression. Once known largely as an industrial estate with limited civic amenities, the twin city underwent a steady transformation under Pawar's influence, particularly during periods when he held key portfolios in the state government and exercised authority over the Pimpri-Chinchwad Mu...