Reports that have not been confirmed yet reported on Tuesday about the death of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar who died in a plane crash that occurred near Baramati while he was flying from Mumbai. The crash resulted in the deaths of four additional people who were part of the flight crew and security team.

The initial reports confirmed that the small aircraft departed from Mumbai at 8 am and crashed near Baramati airport after 45 minutes of flight during its landing attempt. Ajit Pawar planned to conduct multiple public meetings before the upcoming local body elections.

The crash site visuals showed emergency services racing to the area which displayed fire and smoke alongside the aircraft wreckage. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) reported that all five passengers died in the aircraft accident according to the available information.

Ajit Pawar, who is 66 years old, is the nephew of NCP founder Sharad Pawar and the cousin of Lok Sabha member Supriya Sule. The Delhi location of Sharad Pawar and Supriaya Sule will serve as their starting point for traveling to Maharashtra after the Parliament budget session.

Ajit Pawar established a new political faction after he broke away from the NCP in 2023. He subsequently took on the role of Deputy Chief Minister for the NDA government. The two NCP factions started talking about a possible reunion after both groups worked together to compete in the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation elections.

The Pawar family and NCP leaders and Maharashtra officials have not released any official information about the incident that occurred.

The private firm VSR operated the aircraft which consisted of a Learjet 45. An aircraft of the same model had crashed in Mumbai in September 2023.