Ajit Pawar Dies In Plane Crash: Here's Why He Was Flying To Baramati

Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister and NCP chief, Ajit Pawar, died on Wednesday morning after a small aircraft carrying him from Mumbai to Pune's Baramati crashed during landing. There were four more people on board, including a pilot, a crew member and Pawar's security personnel, who also died in the crash. The small aircraft, which took off from Mumbai at 8:10 am, crashed near Baramati airport half an hour later during a second approach. It was scheduled to land at 8:50 am.

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Pawar's scheduled visit to Pune's Baramati was not just another trip or outing. It was a political visit. According to reports, Pawar was to attend four key meetings ahead of the local body polls next month.

Ajit Pawar's Baramati Connection

Pawar was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1991 from the Baramati Parliamentary constituency, but he later vacated the seat in havour of his uncle, Sharad Pawar. He was elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly six more times from the Baramati Assembly constituency in 1995, 1999, 2004, 2009, 2014, and 2019.

Also Read | "Your Trusted Government": Ajit Pawar's Last X Post, Hours Before Crash

Grief Pours In

Prime Minister Narendra Modi described Pawar's untimely death as "shocking and saddening".

"Shri Ajit Pawar Ji was a leader of the people, having a strong grassroots-level connect. He was widely respected as a hardworking personality at the forefront of serving the people of Maharashtra. His understanding of administrative matters and passion for empowering the poor and downtrodden were also noteworthy. His untimely demise is very shocking and saddening. Condolences to his family and countless admirers. Om Shanti," he wrote in a post on X (formelry Twitter).

Shri Ajit Pawar Ji was a leader of the people, having a strong grassroots level connect. He was widely respected as a hardworking personality at the forefront of serving the people of Maharashtra. His understanding of administrative matters and passion for empowering the poor and… pic.twitter.com/mdgwwGzw4R

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 28, 2026

Ajit Pawar's Life In Photos: From Baramati To Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said Pawar's death has left his "heart deeply distressed." He expressed his "deepest condolences" to the Pawar family and assured support from the NDA.

"The way Ajit Pawar ji dedicated himself to the welfare of every section of society in Maharashtra over the past three and a half decades cannot be described in words. Whenever we met, he would engage in long discussions on numerous issues related to the welfare of the people of Maharashtra. His death is a personal loss not only for the NDA family but also for me," he added in a social media post.

आज एक दुःखद हादसे में महाराष्ट्र के उपमुख्यमंत्री और NDA के हमारे वरिष्ठ साथी अजीत पवार जी को खो देने की सूचना से मन अत्यंत व्यथित है।

अजीत पवार जी ने बीते साढ़े तीन दशकों में जिस प्रकार महाराष्ट्र के हर वर्ग के कल्याण के लिए खुद को समर्पित किया, उसे शब्दों में व्यक्त नहीं किया…

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) January 28, 2026

The Union Home Minister is learnt to have left for Pune after getting information about the crash.