New Delhi: Maharashtra deputy chief minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Ajit Pawar, along with five other persons, were killed when the plane in which they were travelling crashed in Pune district’s Baramati on Wednesday (Janaury 28), morning, reported Press Trust of India.Baramati plane crash: Occurrence Report | January 28, 2026A Learjet 45 aircraft (registration VT-SSK), operated by VSR, reportedly crash-landed at Baramati airport on Tuesday. Five people, including crew members, were onboard the aircraft.According to preliminary information,… pic.twitter.com/9hUfq12XBP— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 28, 2026According to Baramati airport manager Shivaji Taware, “The aircraft VT SSK was attempting landing and the aircraft went on the side of the runway and exploded on crashing,” reported Hindustan Times.He told the newspaper that the aircraft was a Learjet 45 that had been chartered from Mumbai.Apart from Pawar, pilots Sumit Kapoor and Shambhavi Pathak, who accompanied him on the plane, have also died. Mumbai PSO HC and Pawar’s security staff Vidhit Jadhav, along with flight attendant Pinky Mali, were also on board the aircraft that crashed.Pawar’s wife Sunetra, uncle and Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP-SP) chief Sharad Pawar and NCP MP Supriya Sule are leaving from Delhi for Baramati. The Pawar family was in Delhi at Sharad Pawar’s house to attend the first day of the budget session of the Parliament, reported The Indian Express.“The aircraft was making a lot of noise while landing, so my attention went to it. It appeared to try landing but slid off the runway, and there was a big explosion. They pulled out four to five bodies from the aircraft,” an onlooker who owns a shop next to the Baramati Airport told Express.Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said that he and deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde are also heading to Baramati. Speaking to reporters, Fadnavis said that the future course of action will be decided after speaking with Pawar’s family.He announced a state mourning of three days over the loss.The last rites will be held with full state honours on Thursday (January 29) in Baramati, a stronghold of the Pawar family, which also happens to be the constituency that first elected Ajit Pawar to Lok Sabha.‘Leader of the people’, ‘irreparable loss’Prime minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences on the passing of Pawar and described him as a “leader of the people.”“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,” Modi posted on X on Wednesday.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… pic.twitter.com/mdgwwGzw4R— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 28, 2026President Droupadi Murmu condoled the death, calling it “an irreparable loss”.“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 others who lost their lives in this accident to bear this blow,” she wrote in a post on X.NCP (SP) leader and cousin of Ajit Pawar, Supriya Sule, reportedly posted a single word social media status and said “devastated”, following the news of the crash.Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi also condoled Pawar’s death. “The news of the demise of Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Shri Ajit Pawar Ji and his fellow travellers in an airplane accident today is extremely heartbreaking. In this moment of grief, I stand with the people of Maharashtra. I extend my condolences to the entire Pawar family and their loved ones during this hour of sorrow,” he said on X.West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee also expressed shock. “Deeply shocked and stunned by the suddden demise of Ajit Pawar! The Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra and his co-passengers have died in a disastrous plane crash at Baramati today morning, and I am feeling a deep sense of loss. My condolences to his family including his uncle Sharad Pawar ji, and late Ajitji’s all friends and followers,” she said.Governor of Maharashtra and Gujarat, Acharya Devvrat, expressed condolences, saying, “I was deeply saddened by the untimely demise of the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Ajit Pawar ji in a plane crash near Baramati. I pay my respects to Shri Ajit Pawar Ji and convey my heartfelt condolences to all the members of the bereaved family. Om Shanti.”Tamil Nadu chief minister M.K. Stalin said that the “scale of the tragedy is difficult to absorb”. “Deeply pained to learn of the death of Hon’ble Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Thiru. Ajit Pawar and others in a tragic plane crash. The scale of the tragedy is difficult to absorb. I extend my sincere condolences to Thiru. Sharad Pawar, Tmt. Supriya Sule and the families of all those who lost their lives in this terrible accident,” he said on X.Pawar had a three-decade-long controversial political career, and was among the most influential leaders in Maharashtra. From handling various portfolios to rising to the ranks of deputy chief minister multiple times, he created a solid network and a reputation for his no-nonsense approach.Despite the corruption allegations, he clung to power, split from his uncle Sharad Pawar’s party and set up his own faction, which the Election Commission later officially recognised as the NCP.Even after he joined the BJP-Shiv Sena coalition, however, Pawar refused to visit the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters on multiple occasions. He skipped invites in December last year, as well as in 2024.According to The Indian Express, he constantly claimed that he has not given up on the ideology of Shivaji Maharaj, Phule and Ambedkar and that his party will not compromise on its “secular ideology”.