Ajit Pawar, the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra—India’s richest state—was killed on Wednesday after his chartered aircraft crashed and burst into flames, according to the country’s aviation regulator. Four other people who were on board the plane also lost their lives.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation confirmed that the aircraft was carrying Pawar, two members of his personal staff, and two crew members. “There are no survivors,” the regulator said in a preliminary statement.
Pawar, a senior politician from an influential political family, was travelling to his home constituency to campaign for upcoming local body elections, Indian media reported.
He was a key ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party in Maharashtra and led a group that broke away from the opposition Nationalist Congress Party in 2023.
Television footage showed thick plumes of smoke rising from the wreckage, which was scattered across an open field.
According to media reports, the aircraft had departed from Mumbai and attempted an emergency landing near Baramati, around 250 kilometres away, a region considered Pawar’s political stronghold, where he was scheduled to address voters.