“When we rushed to the spot, the aircraft was on fire."
Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar has died in a plane crash, India’s aviation regulator has confirmed.
The Learjet 45, operated by VSR, took off from Mumbai on January 28, 2026, before crash-landing at Baramati airport, in Pawar’s constituency, according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
Two of his staff and two crew members also died.
The cause of the crash has not yet been officially confirmed.
Flightradar24 said the aircraft was attempting a second approach to Baramati airport when it went down. It was reported that the crash occurred at around 8:45 am local time.
Ajit Pawar was travelling to attend a public rally linked to district council elections. A witness said the aircraft exploded moments after impact.
The witness said: “When we rushed to the spot, the aircraft was on fire. There were four to five more explosions.
“People tried to pull the passengers out, but the fire was too intense.”
Pawar was a central figure in Maharashtra politics and the nephew of Sharad Pawar, founder of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
He built his influence through the grassroots cooperative movement and held sway in the state’s sugar belt.
Pawar served as Maharashtra’s second-highest elected official as part of the federal governing coalition led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He was widely known for mobilising rural voters and shaping regional political strategy.
His death triggered an outpouring of public grief. Crowds gathered outside Baramati hospital, where his body was taken.
The state government announced three days of mourning. Flags will fly at half-staff, public offices and schools will close, and official events will be cancelled.
The state said the mourning period reflects Pawar’s long service and influence in Maharashtra politics.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said he had “no words to express my emotions”.
Fadnavis posted on social media: “I have lost my strong and generous friend.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also paid tribute, calling Pawar’s “untimely demise”, “very shocking and saddening”.
He was “widely respected as a hardworking personality”, Modi said, adding that “his passion for the empowerment of the poor and the deprived was particularly noteworthy”.
Shiv Sena (UBT) party politician Sanjay Raut called Ajit Pawar the “backbone” of the state and said his death was a “black day” for the state’s political and social landscape.
He added: “Without Dada [the term for elder brother in Marathi language], the political landscape of Maharashtra is incomplete.
“He had an open-hearted personality and every party worker admired him.”
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