Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP chief Ajit Pawar died on Wednesday, January 28, morning after the chartered aircraft he was travelling in crashed while attempting an emergency landing at Baramati airport. The crash also claimed the lives of both pilots and Pawar’s two security personnel — a personal security officer and an attendant — taking the total death toll to five.
Confirming the incident, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the Mumbai-to-Baramati charter plane crash-landed with no survivors. Preliminary inputs suggest poor visibility may have contributed to the accident. The pilots have been identified as Sumit Kapoor and Sambhavi Pathak. The aircraft involved was a Bombardier Learjet 45 operated by Delhi-based charter company VSR.
Ajit Pawar was travelling to Baramati to address four public meetings ahead of the Zilla Parishad elections when the crash occurred. Visuals from the site showed the aircraft completely gutted by fire, reduced to ashes, with debris scattered across the area and thick smoke billowing from the crash site.
