Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was killed along with four others after a Learjet aircraft carrying them crashed near the Baramati airport in Maharashtra’s Pune district on Wednesday.

Pawar was travelling from Mumbai to Pune district, where he was scheduled to address four rallies in connection with the February 5 zilla parishad elections. The aircraft took off from Mumbai in the morning before meeting with the fatal accident near Baramati.

An official said a team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will visit the crash site to probe the incident. The deceased include Pawar, two crew members and two other passengers, the official added.

According to Flight Radar data, the Learjet aircraft, operated by Delhi-based VSR Ventures, departed Mumbai at 8.10 am and disappeared from radar around 8.45 am. The aircraft crashed at about 8.50 am, a police official said.

A DGCA official said there were five passengers on board, including Pawar, his Personal Security Officer and an attendant, along with two crew members — the pilot in-command and the first officer — when the aircraft crashed.

Superintendent of Police Sandip Singh Gill said a fire broke out after the crash. "People onboard were immediately taken to the hospital," he said.

Ajit Pawar is survived by his wife Sunetra, a Rajya Sabha member, and his two sons, Parth and Jay. His Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) had contested the recent municipal corporation elections in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad in alliance with his uncle Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP).

Condolences poured in from across the political spectrum, with President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and several other leaders expressing grief over Pawar’s demise.

In a post on X, Murmu said Pawar will always be remembered for his special contribution to the development of Maharashtra, especially in the cooperative sector. Prime Minister Modi said Ajit Pawar was a leader of the people with a strong grassroots connect and described his death in the plane crash as untimely and deeply shocking.

In his condolence message, Amit Shah said Ajit Pawar’s demise was a personal loss not only for the NDA family but also for him. Modi and Shah also spoke to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to enquire about the incident.

Fadnavis described Pawar’s death as unbelievable and said he had lost a good friend. Ajit Pawar’s death has left a void that will never be filled, he said. “After working closely together, it is unbelievable that he is no more,” Fadnavis told reporters.

The chief minister described Pawar as a people’s leader with deep knowledge of the state and a strong understanding of Maharashtra’s issues, adding that it takes years to build such leadership.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde termed the death of his colleague sad and unfortunate, and said the aircraft accident would be thoroughly probed.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said that despite choosing a different political path and joining the BJP-led NDA, Ajit Pawar did not allow their personal relationship to break.

Eyewitnesses recounted dramatic scenes following the crash. One witness said the aircraft carrying Pawar appeared "a bit unstable in the air" before exploding the moment it hit the ground. Another said the aircraft burst into flames after the crash, followed by four to five consecutive blasts.

The Maharashtra government announced a three-day state mourning until January 30, during which the national flag will be flown at half-mast on all buildings. There will be no official entertainment during the mourning period.

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar visited the Baramati airport and later the medical college where Ajit Pawar’s body was taken. His cousin, Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule, appeared inconsolable over the tragic loss.

A source close to the family said Ajit Pawar’s last rites are likely to be performed later in the day at the Vidya Pratishthan ground in Baramati.

An official statement said Baramati is an uncontrolled airfield where traffic information is provided by instructors or pilots from flying training organisations. “As per the statement of the person manning the ATC following are the sequence of events: On 28th January 2026 the aircraft VI-SSK first came in contact with Baramati at 0818 IST. The aircraft's next call was at 30 NM inbound to Baramati and they were released by Pune approach. They were advised to descend in Visual Meteorological conditions at pilot's discretion.

“The crew enquired about the winds and visibility and they were informed that the winds were calm and visibility was around 3000 mts,” the statement said.