Ajit Pawar, the deputy chief minister of India’s wealthiest state of Maharashtra, has died after the charter aircraft he was travelling in crashed and caught fire on Wednesday, killing all five people on board, according to India’s aviation regulator.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the VSR Ventures–operated Learjet 45 was carrying Pawar, two members of his staff and two crew members. “No person on board has survived,” the regulator said in an initial statement.
Indian media reported that Pawar was travelling from Mumbai to his home region to campaign in local body elections when the aircraft went down. The jet reportedly attempted an emergency landing near the city of Baramati, a political stronghold of the Pawar family, around 250 kilometres from the financial capital.
VK Singh, director of VSR Ventures, told broadcaster India Today that the plane crashed during its approach to Baramati, adding that the cause of the accident was not immediately clear. He said the aircraft was safe and the crew experienced.
Video footage circulating in Indian media showed burning wreckage scattered across an open field, with thick smoke rising from the crash site. An eyewitness quoted by ANI news agency said the aircraft burst into flames on impact, followed by several explosions, making rescue attempts impossible.
Ajit Pawar came from one of Maharashtra’s most influential political families and played a key role in the state’s politics. In 2023, he led a faction that split from the opposition Nationalist Congress Party and joined the state government backed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.
Prime Minister Modi described Pawar’s death as “shocking and saddening” in a post on X, as political leaders across India paid tribute to the veteran politician.
Investigations into the cause of the crash are ongoing.
