Plane Crashes During Landing in Maharashtra, 4 Dead Including Deputy Chief Minister

Ajit Pawar, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra and senior NCP leader, has died in a plane crash. The accident occurred on Wednesday morning as the aircraft attempted to land at Baramati airport in Pune district, Maharashtra.

Ajit Pawar was the nephew of Sharad Pawar, former Chief Minister of Maharashtra and founding president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

According to four others were also on board and have died in the crash. However, no official confirmation has yet been issued. Those on the plane included 66-year-old Ajit Pawar, his personal security officer (PSO), an assistant, and two crew members.

After the crash, the plane caught fire. Images and videos from the scene show the aircraft engulfed in flames. Firefighters were seen attempting to extinguish the blaze, while police officers secured the area.

Preliminary reports indicate that Ajit Pawar was traveling from Mumbai to Baramati in a private aircraft to campaign for party candidates in the district council elections. The plane caught fire immediately after the crash, and rescue operations are underway with emergency response teams on site.

NDTV reported that Ajit Pawar departed Mumbai at around 8 a.m. He was scheduled to address four election rallies in his home constituency of Baramati. The Learjet-45 aircraft was operated by VSR Ventures.

Biography of Ajit Pawar

Ajit Pawar was born on 22 July 1959 in Deolali, Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra. His father, Anantrao Pawar, worked at the famous Rajkamal Studio in Mumbai (then Bombay). After his father’s death, Ajit’s formal education was interrupted, but he completed his Secondary School Certificate (SSC) under the Maharashtra State Board.

In 1982, at the age of 23, he was elected to the board of a cooperative sugar factory. At that time, his uncle Sharad Pawar had already become an established Congress leader in state politics.