Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah called Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to inquire about the tragic plane crash that killed state Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar
on Wednesday morning. Ajit Pawar, 66, chief of the Nationalist Congress Party, died along with four others, including the aircraft’s pilots and his security personnel, when their small plane crashed near Baramati airport during a landing attempt.
Read more: Ajit Pawar: The Man Who Was Never Out Of Power In Maharashtra’s Politics
The aircraft took off from Mumbai around 8 am and crashed approximately 45 minutes later. The veteran leader was scheduled to attend four important public meetings ahead of local body polls in the region. Visuals from the crash site showed fire and smoke, with mangled remains of the aircraft scattered across the area. Ambulances rushed to transport victims to nearby hospitals, though the Directorate General of Civil Aviation confirmed that all five passengers on board died in the crash.
Ajit 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 Supriya Sule, who were in Delhi attending the Parliament’s budget session, are expected to leave for Pune shortly.
Details about the cause of the crash are awaited as aviation authorities begin their investigation into the accident.
