1 hour ago
3
ARTICLE AD BOX
The plane was landing at Baramati airport when it crashed, sources said, adding that the aircraft has a seating capacity of six, including the pilot.
A plane carrying Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, along with four others, crashed in Baramati on Wednesday morning, killing all aboard the aircraft.
As per the DGCA, Pawar was with “2 more personnel (1 PSO and 1 attendant) and 2 crew (PIC+FO) members”. They were on board a Learjet 45 aircraft, operated by VSR Aviation.
The plane was landing at Baramati airport when it crashed, sources said, adding that the aircraft had a seating capacity of six, including the pilot.
An onlooker who owns a shop next to the Baramati Airport told The Indian Express, “The aircraft was making a lot of noise while landing, so my attention went to it. It appeared to try landing but slid off the runway, and there was a big explosion. They pulled out four to five bodies from the aircraft.”
Pawar was en-route from Mumbai to Pune to attend four campaign rallies for the ongoing Zilla Parishad elections. Elections to 12 Zilla Parishads and 125 Panchayat Samitis in Maharashtra will be held on February 5, with counting of votes scheduled for February 7.
PM Modi condoles Pawar’s demise
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled Pawar’s demise and expressed shock over the fatal aircraft crash.
“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.
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
‘Deeply pained’: Tejashwi Yadav
Story continues below this ad
Tejashwi Yadav said that he was deeply pained by the news of Pawar’s demise and expressed condolences.
“Deeply pained and stunned by the news of the sudden demise of Deputy CM of Maharashtra Sh. Ajit Pawar! My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and followers,” he wrote in a post on X.
‘Irreparable loss,’ says Giriraj Singh
Union Minister Giriraj Singh said that Pawar’s demise was an “irreparable loss”.
“This is a heart-rending incident. May God give strength to the affected families…He was not just the Deputy CM of Maharashtra but also a well-known politician in the country. This is an irreparable loss,” Singh said.
English (US) ·