LIVE: Ajit Pawar's Death: Maharashtra Govt Declares 3-Day Mourning

According to the DGCA, five people, including the crew, on board the chartered plane flying from Mumbai to Baramati died after a crash-landing at 8.45 am

By :  PTI
Update: 2026-01-28 04:11 GMT
Rescue work underway after an aircraft carrying Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar crashed during landing, at Baramati in Pune district, Maharashtra (PTI)

Pune: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four other persons were killed after an aircraft carrying them crashed in Pune district on Wednesday morning, officials said. The incident occurred when the plane carrying Pawar (66) and others landed near Baramati, they said.

According to Flight Radar, the flight took off from Mumbai at 8.10 am and it disappeared from radar around 8.45 am.

Pawar was traveling to Baramati from Mumbai to address public meetings as part of the campaign for the February 5 zilla parishad elections in the state.
There were five people on board when the aircraft crashed at 8.50 am, a police official said.
Superintendent of Police, Sandip Singh Gill, said that after the crash, there was a fire. "People onboard were immediately taken to the hospital," he said.

The government on Wednesday declared three days of state mourning across Maharashtra as a mark of respect to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who died in a plane crash, officials said.

State mourning will be observed from January 28 to 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, it said.

The department further declared that all state government offices across Maharashtra will remain closed on Wednesday on account of the demise of the deputy chief minister.

A source told PTI that the aircraft pilot had mentioned about poor visibility near the runway, before the aircraft attempted the landing.

The Learjet 45 (LJ45), a mid-size business jet aircraft produced by the Learjet Division of Bombardier Aerospace, went off the runway while attempting to land at Baramati airport and burst into flames, the source said.
Pawar is survived by wife Sunetra, a member of Rajya Sabha and two sons, Parth and Jay.
Pawar's 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).
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will probe the plane crash at Baramati airport that killed Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others on Wednesday. The Learjet 46, operated by Delhi-based VSR Ventures, crash-landed at the airport. There were five people onboard, including the crew members, according to the aviation regulator DGCA.
A senior official told PTI that the AAIB will be visiting the crash site and it will be investigating the accident.
AAIB is responsible for classifying safety occurrences involving aircraft operating in Indian airspace as accidents, serious incidents, or incidents. It carries out detailed investigations into accidents and also suggests measures to improve safety.
Live Updates
2026-01-28 08:52 GMT

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the death of Ajit Pawar in a place crash, alleging that "all other agencies" have been "completely compromised."

2026-01-28 08:22 GMT



2026-01-28 08:22 GMT



2026-01-28 08:21 GMT



2026-01-28 07:36 GMT



2026-01-28 07:34 GMT

Andhra Pradesh Cabinet observeed silence as a mark of respect for Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar.



2026-01-28 07:16 GMT

Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi condoled the demise of Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and said he left a lasting imprint on the western state's politics.Pawar and four others were killed after an aircraft carrying them crashed in Maharashtra's Pune district.

"Deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Ajit Pawar ji in the tragic plane crash at Baramati today. His years of public service and contribution to Maharashtra have left a lasting imprint on the state's political life," Gogoi, the deputy leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha, said in a post on X.



2026-01-28 07:15 GMT

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta condoled the death of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Wednesday, saying it was an irreparable loss for the state.In an X post, Gupta said the untimely demise of Ajit Pawar in an unfortunate plane crash, was painful and shocking. 

"His demise is an irreparable loss for Indian politics, especially Maharashtra," the Delhi chief minister said.



2026-01-28 07:13 GMT

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin condoled the demise of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others in a flight crash saying, "the scale of the tragedy is difficult to absorb".Deeply pained to learn about the death of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and others in a tragic plane crash, Stalin said.

 


2026-01-28 07:11 GMT


Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday described the death of his fellow Deputy CM Ajit Pawar as sad and unfortunate and said the aircraft accident that claimed his life will be probed.
Speaking to reporters, Shinde lauded the contribution of Pawar, who served as his colleague in different cabinets and was also his deputy when he helmed the government from 2022 to 2024. "It is a very painful incident...very sad and unfortunate for Maharashtra. The aircraft accident will be probed," he said.
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