Modi, Shah call Maharashtra CM Fadnavis after Ajit Pawar dies
What's the story
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have reached out to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis following the tragic death of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash. The incident took place on Wednesday morning near Baramati airport as the aircraft was attempting to land. The 66-year-old senior leader of the Nationalist Congress Party was traveling with four others, including pilots and security personnel, when their small plane crashed.
Twitter Post
Video shows mangled plane
#WATCH | Crash landing in Baramati | Five people onboard the Mumbai-Baramati charter plane, including Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, died as per initial information by the DGCA.
— ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2026
Visuals from the spot. pic.twitter.com/uL8TAyurv1
Political legacy
Ajit Pawar's political journey and crash details
The aircraft took off from Mumbai at 8:00am and crashed around 45 minutes later. Pawar was on his way to attend four public meetings ahead of local body polls in the region. The crash site was engulfed in fire and smoke, with debris strewn across the area. Ambulances were immediately dispatched to ferry the victims to nearby hospitals; however, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation confirmed that all five onboard died in the accident.
Family response
Pawar's family and investigation underway
Pawar was the nephew of veteran politician and NCP founder Sharad Pawar and the cousin of Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule. Both Sharad Pawar and Sule were in Delhi for Parliament's budget session but are expected to leave for Pune soon. The cause of the crash is still unknown as aviation authorities launch an investigation into this tragic incident.