Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar dies in plane crash at Baramati airport
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and five other persons were killed after an aircraft carrying them crashed in Pune district on Wednesday morning, officials said
- Jan 28, 2026,
- Updated Jan 28, 2026 11:18 AM IST
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP leader Ajit Pawar died on Wednesday after the aircraft carrying him crashed while attempting to land at Baramati airport in Maharashtra.
The crash took place on Wednesday morning as the plane was coming in to land, triggering an emergency response at the airport and nearby areas. Visuals from the crash site showed wreckage strewn across the ground, with flames and thick smoke rising from the aircraft.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) confirmed five people have been confirmed dead in the crash. The DGCA stated that poor visibility may have been a contributing factor to the crash. The pilots on board the aircraft were Sumit Kapoor and Sambhavi Pathak.
Pawar, 66, had attended a Cabinet meeting in Mumbai on Tuesday and was travelling to Baramati for a series of meetings linked to the upcoming local body elections in Pune, including the Zilla Parishad polls scheduled for February 5. The accident occurred before those planned engagements.
The plane crashed while trying to land at Baramati airport around 8:40 am. Witnesses say it crashed at the start of the runway and caught fire immediately. The plane was completely destroyed, leaving only ashes and scattered debris. There was a large fire and smoke at the crash site.
Following the incident, reports said Supriya Sule, Sunetra Pawar and Parth Pawar were set to leave for Baramati from Delhi. They were earlier reported to be together at Sharad Pawar’s residence.
Ajit Pawar: The Baramati Strongman
Born on July 22, 1959, in Deolali Pravara in Ahmednagar district, Ajit Pawar grew up in a family where public life was not a general idea but a daily rhythm. His world, early on, was shaped by the cooperative institutions that anchor western Maharashtra’s politics, sugar factories, milk unions and local banks, long before he became a familiar face in Mantralaya.
His electoral breakthrough came in 1991, when he won from Baramati, a constituency he would go on to retain repeatedly. Over time, he became a six-term MLA from Baramati, turning it into one of the state’s most politically secure and symbolically loaded seats.
Known for his intense grassroots connect, Pawar was often credited with transforming Baramati into a model constituency through investments in irrigation, education and infrastructure.
He was also the nephew of veteran leader Sharad Pawar, and his politics carried an impression of that relationship: the method, the practicality and the regional instincts of western Maharashtra’s most seasoned strategist.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP leader Ajit Pawar died on Wednesday after the aircraft carrying him crashed while attempting to land at Baramati airport in Maharashtra.
The crash took place on Wednesday morning as the plane was coming in to land, triggering an emergency response at the airport and nearby areas. Visuals from the crash site showed wreckage strewn across the ground, with flames and thick smoke rising from the aircraft.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) confirmed five people have been confirmed dead in the crash. The DGCA stated that poor visibility may have been a contributing factor to the crash. The pilots on board the aircraft were Sumit Kapoor and Sambhavi Pathak.
Pawar, 66, had attended a Cabinet meeting in Mumbai on Tuesday and was travelling to Baramati for a series of meetings linked to the upcoming local body elections in Pune, including the Zilla Parishad polls scheduled for February 5. The accident occurred before those planned engagements.
The plane crashed while trying to land at Baramati airport around 8:40 am. Witnesses say it crashed at the start of the runway and caught fire immediately. The plane was completely destroyed, leaving only ashes and scattered debris. There was a large fire and smoke at the crash site.
Following the incident, reports said Supriya Sule, Sunetra Pawar and Parth Pawar were set to leave for Baramati from Delhi. They were earlier reported to be together at Sharad Pawar’s residence.
Ajit Pawar: The Baramati Strongman
Born on July 22, 1959, in Deolali Pravara in Ahmednagar district, Ajit Pawar grew up in a family where public life was not a general idea but a daily rhythm. His world, early on, was shaped by the cooperative institutions that anchor western Maharashtra’s politics, sugar factories, milk unions and local banks, long before he became a familiar face in Mantralaya.
His electoral breakthrough came in 1991, when he won from Baramati, a constituency he would go on to retain repeatedly. Over time, he became a six-term MLA from Baramati, turning it into one of the state’s most politically secure and symbolically loaded seats.
Known for his intense grassroots connect, Pawar was often credited with transforming Baramati into a model constituency through investments in irrigation, education and infrastructure.
He was also the nephew of veteran leader Sharad Pawar, and his politics carried an impression of that relationship: the method, the practicality and the regional instincts of western Maharashtra’s most seasoned strategist.