Baramati, Maharashtra – January 28, 2026 – Officials have confirmed that Ajit Pawar, the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, died early Wednesday morning. The private plane he was on crashed while trying to land at Baramati Airport. Sadly, four other people on board also died in the crash.
A private Learjet 45, VT-SSK, owned by VSR Aviation, crashed while landing near the Baramati runway. Mr. Pawar was flying from Mumbai to attend some local election stuff. The jet caught fire after the hard landing, and sadly, all five people on board died.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) says that the plane was trying to land at Baramati Airport around 8:45–8:48 AM, but it looks like it went off the runway and crashed.
Victims and Response
The crash killed Ajit Pawar, his bodyguard, a helper, the pilot, and the co-pilot. People who saw it said the plane came down fast and blew up when it hit the ground, which made it harder to help. The wreckage was on fire, with smoke everywhere. Rescue teams and villagers showed up to the crash site. Because of the tragedy, Maharashtra announced three days of mourning. Top politicians said they were very sad and sorry about what happened.
About Ajit Pawar
Ajit Pawar, who was 66, was a longtime politician and a big name in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). He held the job of Deputy Chief Minister in Maharashtra, a really big and important state in India. People knew him as someone with a lot of sway, especially when it came to the state’s farming and co-op stuff. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders around the country have said they’re really sad about Pawar’s death and are sending their thoughts to the families who are going through a hard time.
Investigation Underway
The DGCA and other aviation safety folks are looking into why the plane crashed. Seems like there were problems when it was coming in to land. Getting all the info from the black boxes and what the tower said will probably take a few days.
