THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

BARAMATI, JANUARY 28, 2026

In a devastating air tragedy, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Ajit Pawar and four others were killed on Wednesday after the aircraft carrying them crash-landed while attempting to touch down in Baramati in Pune district, according to aviation authorities.

The aircraft, a Learjet 45 operated by Delhi-based charter company VSR, went down during its landing approach, killing everyone on board, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said. Those declared dead included Pawar, a personal security officer, the pilot, the co-pilot and a cabin crew.

Pawar was travelling from Mumbai to Baramati to address a political rally when the tragic incident occurred. Emergency teams rushed to the site, but there were no survivors, officials said.

Over the past four decades, Ajit Pawar had emerged as one of the most influential and formidable figures in Maharashtra’s political landscape. Fondly known as “Dada” by supporters, he began his political journey at the grassroots level in the 1980s, rising steadily under the towering legacy of his uncle Sharad Pawar. His first major electoral breakthrough came in 1991 when he won the Baramati Lok Sabha seat, marking the start of a long and eventful career.

A five-time Deputy Chief Minister under different Chief Ministers, Pawar was known for his administrative acumen and bold political decisions. His dramatic split from his uncle Sarad Pawar to align with the BJP reshaped Maharashtra politics and led to a vertical division of the NCP. Once articulating his ambition to become Chief Minister and implement his own vision for public welfare, Pawar’s political journey was cut tragically short by the crash.