Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar died in a serious plane crash in the early hours of this morning.
A small plane traveling from Mumbai to Baramati crashed, killing all five people on board, including Pawar. The two pilots and Pawar’s security guards were also among the deceased.
The aircraft took off from Mumbai at around 8 am and crashed 45 minutes after takeoff while attempting to land at Baramati airport. Pawar was on a trip to attend four important public meetings related to the upcoming local body elections. Footage from the scene shows the plane engulfed in flames and smoke, with debris scattered around the crash site.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) confirmed that no one survived the crash. Ajit Pawar was the nephew of influential politician Sharad Pawar and the cousin of Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule. Following the news, Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule, who were in Delhi for the budget session, are preparing to fly to Pune immediately.
After a political upheaval within his party in 2023, Ajit Pawar joined the NDA government as Deputy Chief Minister. Recently, political discussions had emerged regarding the possible reunification of the two factions of the NCP.
The accident involved a Learjet 45 aircraft owned by VSR. Notably, a similar aircraft had crashed in Mumbai in September 2023.
Expressing grief over Pawar’s untimely demise, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was a capable administrator, closely connected with the public, and a dedicated leader. Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also issued condolence messages, praising his contributions to the development of Maharashtra’s forests.
