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 am, crashed near Baramati airport during a landing attempt 45 minutes later. According to reports, Pawar was to attend four important public meetings ahead of the local body polls.

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.

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.

Source: NDTV
--Agencies