NCP chief and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar died in a tragic plane crash this morning while traveling from Mumbai to Baramati. Four other people, including the pilot and Pawar’s security guard, also died in the crash. The small aircraft, which took off from Mumbai at around 8:10 a.m., crashed near Baramati Airport half an hour later while attempting to land. According to reports, Pawar was scheduled to attend four important public meetings ahead of next month’s local body elections.
Images from the scene show fire and smoke, mangled parts of the plane, and ambulances carrying the injured to a nearby hospital. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation stated that all five passengers on board died in the crash. 66-year-old Ajit Pawar was the nephew of prominent leader and NCP founder Sharad Pawar and the cousin of Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule. Sharad Pawar and Sule, who were in Delhi for Parliament’s budget session, will soon leave for Pune.
Ajit Pawar served as Deputy Chief Minister under four Chief Ministers: Prithviraj Chavan, Uddhav Thackeray, Eknath Shinde, and Devendra Fadnavis. In 2023, Ajit Pawar led a rebellion within the NCP, splitting the party into two groups: one led by him and the other by his uncle, Sharad Pawar. He later joined the NDA government and became Deputy Chief Minister. However, recently, there were talks of a reunification of the NCP, and both groups contested the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation elections together. The NCP leadership, the Pawar family, and the Maharashtra government have yet to comment on the tragic incident.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi described Pawar’s untimely death as “shocking and saddening.” He said on X, “Shri Ajit Pawar ji was a people’s leader with a strong grassroots connection. He was highly respected as a hardworking individual who was at the forefront of serving the people of Maharashtra. His understanding of administrative matters and his passion for empowering the poor were commendable. His sudden demise is deeply shocking and tragic. My condolences to his family and countless admirers. Om Shanti.”
The Union Home Minister Amit Shah has left for Pune after learning about the crash. In a post on X, he said he was “deeply saddened.” “The way Ajit Pawar ji dedicated himself to the welfare of every section of Maharashtra cannot be described in words. His demise is a personal loss for me.”
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said he was “deeply shocked and saddened.” He added, “Throughout his long public life, he remained committed to the development and prosperity of Maharashtra. He was known for his compassion for the people and his unwavering dedication to public service. I express my deepest condolences to his family, well-wishers, and loved ones.”
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said, “Five people on board a charter plane from Mumbai to Baramati have died after it crash-landed.” The aviation regulator said the aircraft may have crashed due to poor visibility. The pilots on board were Sumit Kapoor and Sambhavi Pathak. He was on his way to Baramati to hold four public meetings ahead of the Zilla Parishad elections when a Bombardier Learjet 45 aircraft chartered from Mumbai crashed. The aircraft belongs to Delhi-based charter company VSR.
The entire aircraft was reduced to ashes, with visuals showing it completely broken and debris scattered all around. Initial visuals showed heavy fire and smoke billowing from the Baramati area. Eyewitnesses said the jet was attempting to land when it crashed near Runway 11 of Baramati Airport at around 8:40 am. The aircraft immediately caught fire.
THE RISE OF AJIT ‘DADA’
Ajit Pawar, son of Sharad Pawar’s elder brother Anantrao, has, like his uncle, built his career by establishing a strong hold on Maharashtra’s cooperative sector. Known as “Dada,” Ajit has carved out a political identity through significant changes, with the most significant moment coming in 2023 when his rebellion split the NCP, and he subsequently joined the NDA.
Born on July 22, 1959, in Deolali Pravara, Ahmednagar district, Ajit belongs to one of Maharashtra’s influential political families. The Pawar family was closely connected to agriculture and the cooperative sector. This shaped Ajit’s early political views and laid the foundation for his political career.
Ajit Dada entered politics early after the death of his father, Anantrao Pawar, who worked at Mumbai’s renowned Rajkamal Studios. This meant Ajit could complete his studies up to the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) level. However, his uncle, Sharad Pawar, was already a well-known Congress leader in Maharashtra politics, so Ajit faced little difficulty in launching his career. At the young age of 23, Ajit was elected to the board of a cooperative sugar factory in Baramati.
Ajit’s first major electoral success came when he won the 1991 Lok Sabha election from Baramati. It was his only Lok Sabha election. He then played a significant role in Maharashtra politics by winning the Baramati Assembly seat—a Pawar stronghold. He has been an MLA from Baramati eight times. In 1999, when Sharad Pawar split from the Congress and formed the NCP, Ajit joined him. With his tactical acumen, Ajit quickly became one of the NCP’s most powerful leaders.
At just 40, Ajit became the youngest cabinet minister in Vilasrao Deshmukh’s Congress government, handling the irrigation portfolio. For nearly a decade, he held various portfolios in different governments, including water supply, rural development, finance, and energy. He also built an independent political base, especially in western Maharashtra, by controlling cooperatives and local bodies.
AJIT PAWAR WAS NEVER OUT OF POWER
As Ajit’s influence grew, tensions within the Pawar family also increased. The rise of Sharad Pawar’s daughter, Supriya Sule, further strained the family atmosphere. Rumors of family discord over succession and control often surfaced openly. However, his dramatic transformations have been a hallmark of his career. When BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as Chief Minister in 2019 in a surprise, early-morning swearing-in ceremony, Ajit served as his deputy. This happened because the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena refused to form a government with the BJP.
When Uddhav became Chief Minister with the support of the Congress and NCP, Ajit remained Deputy CM. However, the most crucial moment came in 2023, when Ajit broke away from a faction of the NCP and joined the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance. Last year, the Shiv Sena also split when Eknath Shinde rebelled against Uddhav. Ajit once again became Deputy Chief Minister. He remained Deputy CM even after the Mahayuti’s significant victory in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections.
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Ajit was married to Sunetra Pawar, daughter of former Maharashtra minister Padmasingh Bajirao Patil. Ajit and Sunetra, who is a Rajya Sabha MP, have two sons. Parth Pawar entered politics and contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections but lost, while Jay Pawar, a businessman, is rarely seen in public.