Ajit Pawar Dies In Plane Crash In Maharashtra's Baramati

Ajit Pawar, NCP chief and Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister, died in a tragic plane crash this morning while he was flying from Mumbai to Baramati. Four others, including pilots and Pawar's security personnel, have also died in the crash. The small aircraft, which took off from Mumbai around 8.10 am, crashed near Baramati airport during a landing attempt half an hour later. According to reports, Pawar was to attend four important public meetings ahead of the local body polls next month.

Visuals from the spot show fire and smoke, mangled remains of the plane, and ambulances rushing the injured to nearby hospitals. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation said all five passengers on board died in the crash.

The 66-year-old was the nephew of veteran politician and NCP founder Sharad Pawar, and the cousin of Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule. Sharad Pawar and Sule, who were in Delhi for the Parliament's budget session, will soon be leaving for Pune. Ajit Pawar is survived by wife Sunetra, and sons Parth and Jay. 

Ajit Pawar served as Deputy Chief Minister under four Chief Ministers: Prithviraj Chavan, Uddhav Thackeray, Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis. In 2023, Ajit Pawar led the mutiny in NCP that split the party into two factions: one led by him and the other by his uncle Sharad Pawar. He later joined the NDA government and became Deputy Chief Minister. Lately, however, there were talks of an NCP reunion, and the two factions contested the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation together. The NCP leadership, the Pawar family and the Maharashtra government are yet to speak about the tragedy.

The flight was operated by a company called VSR and was a Learjet 45. An aircraft of the same make had crashed in September 2023 in Mumbai.

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 said on X.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is learnt to have left for Pune after getting information about the crash. In a post on X, the Union Home Minister said he was "deeply pained". "The way Ajit Pawar ji dedicated himself to the welfare of every section in Maharashtra cannot be described in words. His death is a personal loss for me." 

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said he is "deeply shocked and pained". "Throughout his long public life, he remained committed to the development and prosperity of Maharashtra. He was known for his compassion for the people and his unwavering dedication to public service. I extend my heartfelt condolences to his family, well-wishers, and admirers," he said.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the news of Ajit Pawar's death is "deeply shocking and profoundly distressing". "It is an untimely loss of a leader who had a long and promising political career ahead. No words can adequately express the immense grief that the bereaved family must be enduring during this difficult hour. I extend my deepest condolences to the entire Pawar family, his supporters and well-wishers," he said.