Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar died after his private jet crashed in Baramati while landing.
Pawar was on board the aircraft along with five others, all of whom did not survive the crash, reports said. He was visiting Baramati to address events and attend official party meetings, sources said.
Condolences poured in from across the political spectrum, including from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Ajit Pawar’s uncle and party supremo Sharad Pawar, Lok Sabha MP and cousin Supriya Sule, and his wife Sunetra Pawar are all said to be en route to Baramati with other family members, sources said.
The cause of the crash is yet unknown.
Visuals from the crash site.
(Photo: PTI)
“Shri Ajit Pawar ji was a leader of the people, having a strong grassroots-level connect. He was widely respected as a hardworking personality at the forefront of serving the people of Maharashtra. His understanding of administrative matters and passion for empowering the poor and downtrodden were also noteworthy. His untimely demise is very shocking and saddening. Condolences to his family and countless admirers. Om Shanti,” PM Modi said.
President Droupadi Murmu also offered her condolences.
“The news of the death of several people, including Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Shri Ajit Pawar, in a plane crash in Baramati, Maharashtra, is extremely tragic. The untimely demise of Ajit Pawar ji is an irreparable loss. He will always be remembered for his special contribution to the development of Maharashtra, especially in the cooperative sector. I express my deep condolences to his family, supporters, and admirers. May God grant strength to the families of all those who lost their lives in this accident to bear this blow,” Murmu said.
"It is a very unfortunate day for Maharashtra. This is a painful incident for me and 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 team we had started the Ladli Behen Yojana, and Ajit dada played an important role in it," Maharashtra deputy CM Eknath Shinde said.