Mumbai: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar tragically died on Wednesday morning in a plane crash near Baramati, along with four others on board. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) confirmed that all five occupants, including Pawar, his personal staff, and flight crew, lost their lives when the chartered plane crash-landed at around 8:45 am.
Following the news, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde expressed deep sorrow over the passing of his long-time colleague. Speaking about Pawar, Shinde said:
“It is an unfortunate day for Maharashtra. This is a painful incident for us and the whole of Maharashtra. Ajit Dada was a man of his word. We worked as a team when I was the CM, and he was Deputy CM. As a team, we had started the Ladli Behen Yojana, and Ajit Dada played an important role in it.”
Ajit Pawar, affectionately known as “Dada” among his supporters, was a seasoned politician with decades of experience. He was heading to Baramati to attend a public rally for the Zilla Parishad elections. The plane had departed from Mumbai around 8 am and went down near Baramati airport during its landing attempt, with visuals from the site showing smoke and fire engulfing the wreckage.
