Ajit Anantrao Pawar, Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister, passed away suddenly on Wednesday morning. The plane he was aboard fell during landing near Baramati Airport in Pune region. Reports from authorities and several media outlets verified the incident. He held a key role in the Nationalist Congress Party. Poor conditions may have played part, though details remain unclear. Witnesses saw smoke before silence took over the area. His body was recovered hours after the impact.
Around 8:45 AM IST, a Learjet 45 – registered as VT-SSK – tried to make an urgent touchdown at Baramati’s local airstrip, the home region of Pawar. This plane, flying under charter from Mumbai and managed by VSR Ventures, ran into serious trouble just before touching down. Instead of aligning properly, it spun out during descent, missed the paved strip, then slammed down close to where the runway begins. Fire erupted instantly upon contact with the ground. Reports still early point to sudden loss of stability in the last moments above the field.
A haze of dark smoke curled into the sky where pieces of twisted metal lay spread across a stretch of grass near the runway. Fire crews arrived fast, moving through the field toward the burning remains. Smoke hung heavy as emergency workers searched the area on foot.
Fatalities and Victims
Early reports shared by aviation officials confirm total fatalities following the incident. Five or possibly six individuals occupied the plane at impact – among them Ajit Pawar, his security detail, a steward, plus flight personnel consisting of lead pilot and co-pilot. Death claimed every person on board without exception. Details emerged initially through India’s civil air authority before confirmation came through official channels.
Folks counted differently at first, yet nearly every report settles on five or six people dead – Pawar among them. Afterward, the remains went to nearby hospitals where workers began checking identities and preparing autopsies.
Pawar’s Role in Baramati
Fresh off a morning start in Mumbai, Ajit Pawar headed toward Baramati under clear skies. One rally followed another, strung across central Maharashtra like beads on a thread. His journey formed part of a steady push by the NCP into village squares and town grounds. Meetings piled up through the day, each one rooted deep in local chatter. Tuesday carried him westward, chasing votes before the Zilla Parishad polls blinked near.
Out of nowhere, Pawar’s passing shook up his party’s campaign plans. That shift rippled through Maharashtra’s power structure too. He held weight there, shaping choices for years. Now silence fills spaces where his voice once guided moves.
Who Was Ajit Pawar?
Fifty-nine it was when July’s twenty-second arrived in Deolali Pravara – that’s where Ajit Pawar first saw light, nestled in Ahmednagar district. Through thick turns of time, he stood tall among Maharashtra’s most enduring names in power circles. Long before ballots mattered, farms and loans shaped his path; leadership showed up early, not in assemblies but ledgers. Pune District Central Cooperative Bank held his chairmanship like a steady hand guiding grain and credit alike. Only after roots dug deep into soil and savings did elections enter the picture.
Pawar found himself back in Baramati again and again, each time stepping into the role of legislator with quiet consistency. Holding charge of big tasks like Finance & Planning shaped how budgets moved in Maharashtra, many now see those years as turning points. Respect grew around him, not loudly but steadily, as changes took root under his watch. Different governments came through, yet he stood beside chief ministers more than once, sharing power despite shifting tides. Party lines blurred when roles were offered, still he showed up without fanfare.
That winter month back in 2019, after power ties shifted across Maharashtra, Pawar steered part of the NCP away into new territory – this time alongside the BJP-run administration, taking up the deputy chief minister role. Come early 2024, his group got official recognition: both the full party title and its election emblem handed down by India’s electoral authority.
Left behind are his wife, Sunetra Pawar – who sits in the Rajya Sabha – along with their sons Jay and Parth.
Political Fallout and Reactions
Few saw it coming when Pawar passed, leaving a stunned silence across Maharashtra, then spreading beyond its borders. From every corner of the political spectrum came voices – measured, heavy – with words shaped by loss, speaking not only of him but those gone alongside.
Later that day, a call came through from Prime Minister Narendra Modi – then another from Union Home Minister Amit Shah – to check on Devendra Fadnavis after the crash. The Maharashtra chief minister was meant to speak at a rally in Konkan. That plan changed fast once word of the tragedy arrived.
Flying wrong? Maybe. Cold wind that morning might’ve played a part. A team from the state has started looking – no delays, no excuses. The DGCA took charge of checking machines, choices, hands on controls. Could it be broken parts? Perhaps. What pilots did – or didn’t do – is under light now. Every angle crawls forward slow.
What Happens Next
Ahead lies a clearer picture on deaths, probe schedules, and forensic details – officials say it’s coming soon. Leadership gaps now ripple through Maharashtra politics after Pawar passed; election strategies may twist in response.
