Eighteen months after a frightening helicopter ride through dense monsoon clouds left him visibly anxious, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar died Wednesday morning when his plane crashed near
Baramati airport, killing all five people on board.
In July 2024, Pawar was traveling by helicopter from Nagpur to Gadchiroli for a steel project’s foundation stone laying ceremony when the aircraft encountered heavy monsoon weather. Accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and then state industries minister Uday Samant, Pawar watched as the chopper lost its route amid poor visibility.
Fadnavis sat next to Pawar and worked to calm and reassure him as the pilot struggled to navigate through the thick clouds. The experienced pilot eventually managed to correct course and execute a safe landing in Gadchiroli. Recounting the nerve-wracking incident at the event later, Pawar said, “Uday Samant told me to watch out for the landing site. After looking at it from the window, I heaved a sigh of relief.”
The 66-year-old leader died at 8:45 am when his Learjet 45 aircraft lost control while landing at Baramati. Plumes of fire and smoke rose from the debris as emergency and police officials reached the site. Aboard the aircraft were a personal security officer (PSO), an attendant and two crew members- a Pilot-in-Command (PIC) and a Second-in-Command (SIC). All five perished in the crash.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled Pawar’s death, describing him as a leader deeply connected to the grassroots.
“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,” PM Modi said in a post on X (formerly Twitter), adding, “His understanding of administrative matters and passion for empowering the poor and downtrodden were also noteworthy. His untimely demise is very shocking and saddening. Condolences to his family and countless admirers. Om Shanti.”
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who had comforted Pawar during that earlier helicopter scare, said, “Losing a leader like him is an unprecedented loss. In personal life, he was a good friend. We faced many challenges together.”
