“A leader of the people having a strong grassroots level connect”, “a bold man”, “a disciplined leader with a strong command.” Tributes poured in for Maharashtra deputy chief minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar who died in an aircraft crash this morning.
Pawar leaves behind his wife Sunetra, a Rajya Sabha MP, and two sons, Parth and Jay.
He was scheduled to attend political events in Baramati.
Four people in the plane also didn’t survive the crash.
Footage from the crash site showed the aircraft’s wreckage on fire. Soon, local villagers and emergency workers gathered at the site.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) confirmed that no person on board survived the crash.
According to information published by the media, the aircraft was a Learjet, described as a six- to eight-seater, with the registration VT-SSK. It had taken off from Mumbai at around 8.10 am, and Air Traffic Control was reportedly alerted to the crash at 9.12 am.
The plane reportedly encountered difficulties during its final approach.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is said to have dialled Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis after news of the incident emerged. Fadnavis, meanwhile, reportedly cancelled his Konkan rally.
“Shri Ajit Pawar Ji was a leader of the people, having a strong grassroots level connect. He was widely respected as a hardworking personality at the forefront of serving the people of Maharashtra. His understanding of administrative matters and passion for empowering the poor and downtrodden were also noteworthy. His untimely demise is very shocking and saddening. Condolences to his family and countless admirers,” PM Modi wrote on X.
In an online post, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said she was deeply shocked.
“Deeply shocked and stunned by the sudden demise of Ajit Pawar! The Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra and his co-passengers have died in a disastrous plane crash at Baramati today morning, and I am feeling a deep sense of loss,” she said, while demanding a probe into the incident.
Authorities are expected to issue a formal briefing once rescue efforts conclude and identities and casualties are verified. The incident has led to a temporary suspension of airport operations and delays to both arriving and departing flights.
“Certain that I will be taking the oath”
Meanwhile, an old video of Ajit Pawar has gone viral from a press conference held with Devendra Fadnavis and fellow Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. During the interaction, the media asked whether Shinde and Pawar would take oath as Deputy Chief Ministers. Responding to the question, Ajit Pawar said, “Whether anyone else takes the oath or not, it is certain that I will be taking the oath tomorrow.”
Shinde was quoted as saying, “He was a studious, courageous and disciplined leader with a strong command over the administration. He never hesitated to say no to schemes and projects that would have put an unnecessary burden on the state exchequer. He was like an elder brother to me.”
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant said, “I always did what he said. He was a bold man. He had a big role in the development of the Baramati region. I express my condolences to the entire Pawar family.”
VSR Ventures under scanner
This was the second accident involving VSR Ventures in Maharashtra in the last two and a half years. In the previous accident, there were no fatalities.
The earlier incident occurred on 14 September 2023 in Mumbai and involved a VSR Ventures-owned Learjet 45 XR aircraft, VT-DBL, a media house highlighted.
The aircraft was operating a non-scheduled passenger flight from Visakhapatnam to Mumbai, carrying six passengers on board. It took off from Visakhapatnam, and the flight en route was uneventful.
The aircraft was cleared to land on Runway 27 and given landing clearance. At the time of landing, around 5 pm, Mumbai Airport was experiencing heavy rain and reduced visibility. During landing, the aircraft drifted to the right of Runway 27 and moved toward Apron C.
About 40 seconds after the autopilot was disconnected, a stick shaker alert sounded in the cockpit, accompanied by a stall warning. Thereafter, EGPWS warnings were generated, and the aircraft crash-landed at the shoulder of the intersection of Taxiway W and Taxiway N.
As a result, the fuselage broke into two pieces and skidded, finally coming to a stop near the intersection of Taxiway U and Taxiway N on an unpaved area (near stand C80). Following the crash, a fire broke out. Fire tenders rushed to the site and extinguished the flames. All occupants were evacuated but sustained various injuries due to the impact.
Dramatic turns
That Ajit Pawar’s journey came to an end in Baramati — the now-prosperous sugarcane-producing belt that had been the proving ground of his political journey of over three decades — underscores the centrality of the region to his political life.
As political observers noted, it was here that a young Ajit Pawar, still in his uncle’s far-reaching shadow, learned the game of politics and power. The experience moulded into the hard-nosed politician who would later play a starring role in re-shaping, perhaps for all time, Maharashtra’s political landscape.
His political life was punctuated by dramatic turns.
Those who followed his career closely wrote about November 2019 when he briefly defected to form a surprise government with the BJP, a government that lasted just 80 hours. It was the first public crack in the NCP family.
But the rupture became permanent in July 2023, when Ajit Pawar led a faction of MLAs to join the BJP-led government again, this time as Deputy Chief Minister. The move split the NCP down the middle.
Months later, the Election Commission awarded his faction the party name and symbol, leaving Sharad Pawar’s loyalists to rebuild under a new banner.
His story, experts believe, was more than that of a powerful state leader.
It was a mirror to India’s changing politics where alliances shift, families fracture, and survival demands reinvention.
But in life and in legacy, he remained in the game.
Also Read: Politics Aside, Ajit Pawar Meets Sharad Pawar on 84th Birthday In New Delhi https://www.vibesofindia.com/politics-aside-ajit-pawar-meets-sharad-pawar-on-84th-birthday-in-new-delhi/
