Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash on Jan 28 near Baramati Airport in Pune district.
The chartered Bombardier Learjet 45, operated by VSR Ventures, was en route from Mumbai to Baramati and crashed at approximately 8.45am during its second landing approach on the tabletop runway.
Preliminary reports suggest poor visibility and technical difficulties led to the crash. The pilot failed to provide a “read-back” to Air Traffic Control just before the aircraft burst into flames.
All five people on board were killed instantly.
Mr Pawar, who hailed from a top political family, was en route to his home region to canvass in local body elections, the media said.
He backed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party in the state government, leading a faction that split in 2023 from the opposition Nationalist Congress Party.
In a post on X, Mr Modi said Mr Pawar’s death was “shocking and saddening”.
