India’s aviation authorities confirmed on Wednesday that Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar died in a fiery plane crash that also killed four others onboard his charter aircraft.
According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the aircraft went down in flames, leaving no survivors. Two members of Pawar’s staff and two crew members were travelling with him at the time of the crash.
Ajit Pawar, a senior political leader from one of Maharashtra’s most influential political families, was heading to his home constituency to campaign for local body elections, according to media reports.
The aircraft had departed from Mumbai, India’s financial hub, and was attempting an emergency landing near Baramati, around 250 kilometers away. Baramati is considered the Pawar family’s political stronghold and was the next stop in his election campaign.
Footage circulating on social media showed thick plumes of smoke rising from burning debris scattered across an open field, highlighting the severity of the crash.
Pawar played a key role in Maharashtra’s current government. He supported Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party and led a breakaway faction that split from the opposition Nationalist Congress Party in 2023.
Reacting to the tragedy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief in a post on X. He offered condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the crash.
“I am deeply saddened by the tragic air crash in Baramati, Maharashtra. My thoughts are with the families who have lost their loved ones,” Modi wrote. He also prayed for strength and courage for the bereaved during what he described as a moment of deep sorrow.
The deadly crash comes amid heightened concern over aviation safety in India. Just a week earlier, an Indian Air Force training aircraft crashed in Uttar Pradesh. Both pilots survived that incident without injuries.
The tragedy also follows a major aviation disaster in July 2025, when an Air India flight bound for London crashed shortly after takeoff.
More than 200 people were killed when the plane went down in a residential area and struck a medical college hostel. Only one passenger survived, marking it as the deadliest air crash globally in over a decade.
Authorities are expected to launch a detailed investigation into the latest incident to determine the cause of the crash.
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