State mourning after Ajit Pawar dies in plane crash: Are banks in Maharashtra closed on Thursday?

The Maharashtra state government has declared a three day state mourning after the passing away of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. The veteran leader of Nationalist Congress Party, died in a plane crash on Wednesday morning in Baramati.

Along with Pawar, his personal security officer, an aide, and two crew members comprising the pilot in command and the first officer lost their lives in the incident.




Pawar is survived by his wife Sunetra, a Rajya Sabha member, and their two sons, Parth and Jay.

Following the tragedy, the Maharashtra government announced a public holiday on Wednesday and declared three days of state mourning.

Are banks closed in Maharashtra tomorrow?

There is no official notification of banks being closed in Maharashtra as part of the mourning declared in the state. However, it is always advisable to call and check at your bank before heading to the branch.

Bank holidays are pre-decided as per the Reserve Bank of India (RBI’s) calendar. In the month of January 2026, banks in Maharashtra have been closed on two occasions: January 15 for the municipal elections, and on January 26 in observance of the Republic Day.

In February, banks in Maharashtra will be closed only on February 19, for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti. This is apart from the second and fourth Saturdays and Sundays.

Meanwhile, banking activities at branches across several parts of the country, including cheque clearing as well as cash deposits and withdrawals, were disrupted on Tuesday after the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) went on a nationwide strike to press for the immediate rollout of a five-day work week for bank employees.

The protest was called after a conciliation meeting with the Chief Labour Commissioner on January 23 failed to produce a breakthrough. UFBU represents nine unions comprising officers and employees of banks, and close to eight lakh staff members from public sector banks joined the strike action.

As a result, cheque clearances amounting to nearly Rs 4 lakh crore were stalled, while cash transactions also suffered. Operations such as bill trading, bill discounting and treasury functions were suspended at many public sector banks, All India Bank Employees Association general secretary C H Venkatachalam, whose union is part of UFBU, told PTI.

All India Bank Officers’ Confederation General Secretary Rupam Roy said that discussions held in December 2023 had resulted in an understanding to extend weekday working hours by 40 minutes from Monday to Friday, with the remaining Saturdays to be treated as holidays.

He added that while this proposal has been formally forwarded to the government, it has remained pending approval for the last two years.