NEW DELHI (AP) — A private plane carrying a deputy chief minister crashed in an open field in western India on Wednesday, killing the official and four other people on board, aviation authorities said. There were no survivors.
The aircraft was en route from India’s financial capital of Mumbai to Ajit Pawar's home city Baramati when it crash-landed and burst into flames some 254 kilometers (159 miles) from Mumbai. The reason for the crash was not immediately known. Television footage showed smoke rising from the wreckage.
Pawar, 66, was the deputy chief minister of India’s western Maharashtra state. He was traveling to Baramati to campaign in a local election when the privately-operated aircraft went down.
Two of his staffs and two crew members on board the mid-size Learjet 45 also died, the directorate general of civil aviation said in an initial statement.
Pawar was a key figure in state politics and served as the second highest elected official in Maharashtra as part of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling coalition in the state. He wielded considerable influence in the the state's sugar belt and was known for his ability to mobilize rural voters.
Modi expressed his condolences, calling Pawar a committed public servant.
“His understanding of administrative matters and passion for empowering the poor and downtrodden were also noteworthy,” Modi said on X. “His untimely demise is very shocking and saddening. Condolences to his family and countless admirers.”
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO
personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who
make comments. Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. Don't threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Anyone violating these rules will be issued a
warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be
revoked.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.