Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was killed on Wednesday morning when a chartered Learjet 45 aircraft crashed while attempting to land at Baramati airport in western India, authorities confirmed. All five people on board, including Pawar, his personal security officer, an attendant, and two pilots, perished in the crash that occurred at approximately 8:45 AM local time. The aircraft, registration VT-SSK, had departed from Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport at 8:10 AM for the short 40-minute flight to Pawar's political stronghold of Baramati in Pune district, where he was scheduled to address rallies ahead of the February 5 zilla parishad elections.
Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 revealed that the Learjet was attempting a second approach to the Baramati airstrip when it went off the runway, veered into a nearby field, and burst into flames upon impact. Pawar's body was later identified by his distinctive silver-chained wristwatch with a black dial, offering a grim indication of how devastating the crash was. The aircraft, operated by New Delhi-based charter company VSR Ventures, was approximately 16 years old, and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation immediately launched a formal investigation into the cause of the accident.
The crash has drawn attention to the safety record of VSR Ventures after reports emerged that a Learjet 45XR linked to the same operator, registered as VT-DBL, crash-landed at Mumbai airport on September 14, 2023, during heavy rain. In that incident, the aircraft drifted off the runway after autopilot disconnect, with multiple cockpit warnings including stick shaker alerts and stall warnings sounding during the final approach. The fuselage broke into two sections but all eight occupants survived. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has dispatched a team to the Baramati crash site and confirmed that the black box has been recovered, which investigators hope will shed light on whether mechanical failure, pilot error, or weather conditions such as reduced visibility contributed to the tragedy.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the news as shocking and deeply saddening, calling Pawar a leader of the people with a strong grassroots-level connection and stating that his demise represented a profound loss to Maharashtra and the country. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis declared a state holiday and three days of mourning during which flags will fly at half-staff, government offices and schools will remain shut, and public events will be cancelled. Fadnavis said that it takes time to develop such leadership and that Pawar had made a major contribution to the state's development, calling his death a personal loss.
The political ripples from the crash have been immediate. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the incident, while Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut described it as a dark day in Maharashtra politics, stating that the state's political landscape was nothing without the man known as Dada. NCP working president Praful Patel, Pawar's cousin and NCP-SCP leader Supriya Sule, his wife Sunetra Pawar, and son Parth Pawar rushed to Baramati from New Delhi. Crowds gathered outside the local hospital where his body was taken, as the enormity of the loss registered across the state.
Ajit Pawar, 66, was one of the most consequential figures in Maharashtra politics over the past three decades. He built his political base through the grassroots cooperative movement and won his first election from Baramati in 1991, a constituency he would retain for six consecutive terms. He served as Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister a record six times, making him the longest-serving holder of that position in the state's history. In July 2023, he led a dramatic split in the Nationalist Congress Party, breaking away from his uncle and political mentor Sharad Pawar to join the Mahayuti alliance government led by the BJP, a move that reshaped Maharashtra's political landscape.
Pawar's death at the height of his political career leaves a significant vacuum in Maharashtra's ruling coalition and in the NCP faction he led. Political analysts noted that he had long aspired to become chief minister, a goal that eluded him throughout his career despite serving as the state's second-highest elected official for decades. His death is expected to trigger a succession battle within his NCP faction and could alter the dynamics of the Mahayuti alliance ahead of future elections. The formal investigation by the AAIB is expected to take weeks or months before a definitive cause of the crash is established.
Comments