Bombay, Jan 28: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar died on Wednesday morning after the chartered aircraft he was travelling in crashed while attempting to land near Baramati in Pune district, officials confirmed.
The plane, reported to be a Learjet 45, went down around 8:45–9:00 am while making an emergency landing at Baramati Airport. Thick smoke, fire and wreckage were seen at the crash site as emergency teams rushed to the scene.
According to preliminary reports, five to six people were on board, including Pawar, his security personnel and crew members. All on board are reported to have perished in the accident, with no survivors, aviation authorities said.
Pawar, 66, was travelling from Mumbai, where he had attended official engagements, to Baramati his hometown to participate in scheduled political events ahead of the Zilla Parishad elections.
The tragedy has triggered an outpouring of grief from political leaders across the country, with tributes pouring in from allies and rivals alike. Investigations into the cause of the crash are underway and authorities have cordoned off the area as aviation safety experts begin their probe.
This is a developing story and further details are awaited.
 leader Ajit Pawar died on Wednesday morning after the chartered aircraft he was travelling in crashed while attempting to land near Baramati in Pune district, officials confirmed.){kind=link}