Ajit Pawar, the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, India, died in a plane crash on 28 January 2026.
Ajit Pawar, whose full name was Ajit Anjanrao Pawar, was traveling on a chartered private jet from Mumbai to Baramati in Maharashtra when the aircraft crash‑landed while attempting to land at Baramati Airport. The plane veered off the runway, burst into flames, and was destroyed on impact, killing Pawar and four other people on board. The exact technical cause of the crash is still under investigation.
Visuals of the crash site showed the intense fire and multiple explosions, severely damaging the aircraft, which made visual identification of the deceased extremely difficult in the immediate aftermath. Ajit Pawar’s identity was later confirmed through personal belongings, particularly the wristwatch he was wearing.
Ajit Pawar’s political life was a study in authority, ambition, and a constant struggle to step out of a towering shadow. As the nephew of Sharad Pawar, founder of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and among India’s most formidable political figures, Ajit Pawar spent nearly his entire public life being measured against his uncle’s legacy. Admired for his iron grip on administration and criticised for his uncompromising, often abrasive politics, he remained a central figure in Maharashtra’s political architecture until the very end.
Ajit Pawar was inseparable from controversy. Allegations by his opponents including the BJP and PM Modi (before he became part of the NDA) of massive irregularities in irrigation projects followed for years, with the figures thrown around were of up to Rs 70,000 crore.
His son, Parth Pawar, also courted controversy when he acquired protected Mahar Vatan land in Pune at a fraction of its market value, triggering accusations of abuse of privilege. No conviction followed.
A stellar political career has been brought to a sudden and crashing end when many political pundits had predicted a huge contribution by Ajit Pawar, at least to the Maharashtra politics in the coming years.
Vale Ajit Pawar, RIP!
Visuals of the crash site showed the intense fire and multiple explosions, severely damaging the aircraft, which made visual identification of the deceased extremely difficult in the immediate aftermath. Ajit Pawar’s identity was later confirmed through personal belongings, particularly the wristwatch he was wearing.
Reason for the plane crash
The official cause of the Ajit Pawar plane crash has not yet been finalized, as the accident is still under investigation by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau and civil‑aviation authorities.
However, early reports and expert analysis point to several likely contributing factors:
- Poor visibility and fog at Baramati airport on the morning of 28 January 2026, which may have made landing difficult.
- The aircraft, a Bombardier Learjet 45, aborted its first landing attempt and then tried again; experts suggest the final approach was unstable, with higher‑than‑normal approach speed, increasing the risk of a hard or off‑runway touchdown.
- The plane crashed near the runway threshold, veering off and bursting into flames; some aviation analysts mention possible loss of control or an in‑flight emergency (such as engine trouble or another technical issue), though this has not been confirmed.
Although the exact technical cause will be established upon completion of the formal investigation report, available evidence suggests a combination of weather, an unstable approach, and possibly an in‑flight emergency led to the crash.
The Plane – Bombardier Learjet 45
The Bombardier Learjet 45 is a midsize business jet, chartered by many politicians and business leaders from time to time for their work and private use. The Learjet 45XR that Ajit Pawar was traveling in was owned and operated by VSR Aviation (VSR Group), a private‑jet charter company based in India.
The aircraft was registered in India as VT‑SSK, and it was being used as a charter flight from Mumbai to Baramati at the time of the crash.