Tragic Plane Crash Claims Life of Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar

Mumbai: In a devastating aviation tragedy, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar, along with five others on board, perished when their chartered aircraft crashed during landing at Baramati airport this morning.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has officially confirmed that there were no survivors among the six individuals aboard the aircraft, which had departed from Mumbai earlier.

The passengers included Ajit Pawar, two security personnel, and two crew members. The incident occurred around 9 AM as the plane attempted to land on runway 11 at Baramati airport.

Reports indicate the aircraft veered off the runway, crashed, and burst into flames upon impact, with visuals from the site showing heavy fire, thick smoke, mangled wreckage, and emergency responders rushing to the scene.

Ajit Pawar, 66, was en route to his hometown Baramati to address multiple public meetings ahead of the ongoing Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections. He had been actively campaigning in the region.

The crash site has seen immediate deployment of rescue teams, senior security officials, and a DGCA investigation team.

Ajit Pawar, a key figure in the Pawar family and NCP, had served as Deputy Chief Minister multiple times under various administrations and was known for his long-standing representation of Baramati.

Family members, including his wife Sunetra Pawar (MP) and son Parth Pawar, along with cousin Supriya Sule (NCP-SP working president), were reportedly rushing to the site from Delhi and other locations.

Political leaders across parties have expressed shock and condolences.