Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar passes away in an aircraft crash in Baramati on Wednesday, Directorate General of Civil Aviation sources told NDTV Profit.
Ajit Pawar was onboard along with two more personnel and two crew members. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation said all five passengers on board died in the crash.
The aircraft that crashed was operated by a company called VSR and was a Learjet 45. The small aircraft, which took off from Mumbai around 8 am, crashed near Baramati airport during a landing attempt an hour later. According to reports, Pawar was to attend four important public meetings ahead of the local body polls.
What is also interesting is that in September 2023 in Mumbai an aircraft of the same make had crashed.
Visuals from the spot show fire and smoke, mangled remains of the plane, and ambulances rushing the injured to nearby hospitals.
The 66-year-old politician was the nephew of veteran politician and NCP founder Sharad Pawar, who was in Delhi for the Parliament's budget session. Sharad Pawar and Lok Sabha MP Spuriya Sule, the cousin of Sharad Pawar, will soon be leaving for Pune.
Maharashtra Congress leader and ex minister Dr. Nitin Raut has expressed deep shock and expressed apprehension about it being a sabotage. He has demanded investigation in the incident. He also cautioned against the rampant use of helicopters and small aeroplanes by political leaders seeking to cover more areas in a day.
Ajit Pawar in 2023, led the mutiny in NCP, which led to split in the party. It was divided into two factions, one was led by him and the other was led by Sharad Pawar. He later joined the NDA government and became the Deputy Chief Minister. However, recently there were talks of an NCP reunion as the two factions in the latest Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation contested together.
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