Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar and five others were killed Wednesday morning after a private aircraft carrying them crashed while landing at Baramati airport in Pune district. No one on board survived the accident, officials confirmed.

The crash involved a Learjet 45XR aircraft (registration VT-SSK) operated by VSR Aviation, owned by VSR Ventures Private Limited. The aircraft was attempting to land when it lost control during descent and crash-landed approximately 100 feet short of the runway, according to officials.

The plane had taken off from Mumbai at around 8.10 am, and Air Traffic Control was alerted to the crash at 9.12 am. Airport operations were temporarily suspended following the incident, leading to delays in both arrivals and departures.

According to news agency PTI, the pilot had reported poor visibility near the runway before attempting to land. During the descent, the aircraft reportedly skidded off the runway and burst into flames after impact.

Superintendent of Police Sandip Singh Gill said a fire broke out immediately after the crash. “People on board were immediately taken to the hospital,” he said, adding that all passengers succumbed to injuries.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) confirmed that six people were on board the aircraft: Ajit Pawar, two personnel (one personal security officer and one attendant), two crew members — the Pilot-in-Command (PIC) and First Officer (FO)

DGCA stated that no person on board survived the crash.

Eyewitnesses said the aircraft was making unusually loud noises during landing.

“It appeared to try landing but slid off the runway. There was a big explosion. Four to five bodies were pulled out from the aircraft,” an eyewitness said.

Videos circulating on social media showed the wreckage engulfed in flames, with emergency services rushing to the site.

The aircraft was a six- to eight-seater Learjet, owned by VSR Ventures Pvt. Ltd., a New Delhi-based private aviation company founded in 2011. The company operates charter flights under the name VSR Aviation and is led by Vijay Kumar Singh, listed as a director in corporate records.

Reports also noted that the same aircraft had been involved in an earlier accident in September 2023, when it skidded off the runway while landing at Mumbai airport during heavy rain.

Ajit Pawar was travelling from Mumbai to Pune to attend four campaign rallies in Baramati for the ongoing Zilla Parishad elections. Elections to 12 Zilla Parishads and 125 Panchayat Samitis in Maharashtra are scheduled for February 5, with vote counting on February 7.

At the time of the crash, the other members of the Pawar family were in Delhi at the residence of Sharad Pawar to attend the first day of the Budget Session of Parliament. Sharad Pawar, Supriya Sule, and Sunetra Pawar were reported to have left for Baramati soon after receiving the news.

The Maharashtra government said that prime minister Narendra Modi and union home minister Amit Shah spoke to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to receive updates on the crash.

Modi expressed deep grief over the tragedy in a post on X, calling Ajit Pawar a mass-based leader dedicated to public service.

“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,” he wrote. “His untimely demise is very shocking and saddening. Condolences to his family and countless admirers. Om Shanti.”

President Droupadi Murmu said in a post on X that the news of the death of several people including Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar in a plane mishap was tragic. “His untimely death leaves a gap that will not be filled. He will be remembered for his contribution to the development of Maharashtra, especially the cooperative sector.”

Ajit Pawar, 66, was the nephew of veteran politician and NCP founder Sharad Pawar, and cousin of Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule. He was the longest-serving Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, having held the position six times non-consecutively.

He served as deputy chief minister under the governments of Prithviraj Chavan, Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray, and Eknath Shinde. He is survived by his wife Sunetra Pawar and two sons, Jay and Parth Pawar.