Baramati, Maharashtra January 28, 2026:

In a tragic incident on Monday morning, Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash near Baramati airport. Four others on board the aircraft, including the pilots and Pawar’s security personnel, also lost their lives.

The small private aircraft, a Learjet 45 operated by aviation company VSR, took off from Mumbai at around 8.10 am and was scheduled to land in Baramati. According to flight tracking platform Flightradar24, the aircraft disappeared from radar around 8.45 am while attempting a second landing. Officials said the plane crashed close to the airport perimeter, triggering a massive fire.

Visuals from the crash site showed heavy smoke, flames, and mangled remains of the aircraft, as emergency services rushed to the scene. Superintendent of Police Sandip Singh Gill said a fire broke out immediately after the crash and the occupants were rushed to nearby hospitals, where all five were declared dead. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) confirmed there were no survivors.

Ajit Pawar, 66, was travelling to attend four public meetings ahead of the upcoming local body elections. A prominent figure in Maharashtra politics, he served as Deputy Chief Minister under four Chief Ministers Prithviraj Chavan, Uddhav Thackeray, Eknath Shinde, and Devendra Fadnavis.

He was the nephew of veteran leader and NCP founder Sharad Pawar and cousin of Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule. Sharad Pawar and Sule, who were in Delhi for the Parliament’s Budget Session, were expected to leave for Pune following the news. Ajit Pawar is survived by his wife Sunetra and sons Parth and Jay.

Condolences poured in from leaders across political parties. Prime Minister Narendra Modi described Pawar’s death as “shocking and saddening,” praising his grassroots connect and administrative experience. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also expressed grief, calling his death an irreparable loss to public life.

In 2023, Ajit Pawar led a split in the NCP, forming a separate faction and later joining the NDA government. Recently, there had been discussions about a possible reunion of the party, with both factions contesting certain civic elections together.

Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the crash.