Ajit Pawar's Plane Crash: Mamata Banerjee Alleges Foul Play, Demands Probe

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday claimed that Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar was supposed to quit the NDA and join the INDIA bloc, and raised questions over his death in the plane crash.

The Trinamool Congress leader demanded a high-level probe under the monitoring of the Supreme Court into Pawar’s death.

“Somebody from another party had said that Ajit Pawar would leave the BJP. Now look at what has happened today. I want a proper investigation under the monitoring of the Supreme Court. Nobody is safe here. He was supposed to join back — I had seen that — so how did this crash happen?” she said.

Ajit Pawar’s Plane Crashed At Edge Of Baramati Tabletop Runway During Second Approach

Echoing Banerjee’s views,

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Somnath Bharti asked if Pawar’s death was an accident or sabotage.

“Shocked to learn about tragic death of Maharashtra Dy CM Sri Ajit Pawar in a plane crash! Since in last Maharashtra municipal elections, his party contested jointly with NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) and there were rumours in power corridors that both the factions may get merged which would have surely troubled the present BJP-shiv Sena (Shinde group) govt. Hence the big question: his death is an accident or sabotage!” Bharti wrote in a post on X.

Rajasthan Congress President Govind Singh Dotasra also demanded an investigation into Pawar’s death.

“Vijay Rupani ji’s plane accident, Bipin Rawat, and now Ajit Pawar’s accident, and the fact that no investigation report on any of these has been made public, I believe, raises questions somewhere. The country’s Prime Minister and Home Minister should investigate these three,” he said.

BJP Reacts To Mamata’s Remark

BJP spokesperson Tuhin Sinha lashed out at Mamata Banerjee, saying “such vulture-like behaviour” is avoidable in this hour of tragedy.

Disgusting opportunism by Mamata Banerjee. Such vulture- like behaviour is avoidable in this hour of tragedy .

— Tuhin A. Sinha तुहिन सिन्हा (@tuhins) January 28, 2026

Ajit Pawar, 66, and four other persons were killed after an aircraft carrying them crashed in Maharashtra’s Pune district on Wednesday morning. The incident occurred when the plane carrying Pawar and others landed near Baramati.

Ajit Pawar was part of the NDA government in Maharashtra after breaking away from the Sharad Pawar-led NCP. The two NCP factions had recently joined hands for civic body polls in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad, but got little success.

Meanwhile, a team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) began its investigation into the tragic plane crash.

The Maharashtra government announced a three-day state mourning following Ajit Pawar’s death.