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.