A private plane crashes in western India and kills a deputy chief
minister and 4 others
[January 28, 2026]
By RAJESH ROY
NEW DELHI
(AP) — A private plane carrying a deputy chief minister crashed in an
open field in western India on Wednesday, killing the official and four
other people on board, aviation authorities said. There were no
survivors.
The
aircraft was en route from India’s financial capital of Mumbai to Ajit
Pawar's home city Baramati when it crash-landed and burst into flames
some 254 kilometers (159 miles) from Mumbai. The reason for the crash
was not immediately known. Television footage showed smoke rising from
the wreckage.
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Supporters of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar pay homage
near his photograph at the Nationalist Congress Party office in Mumbai,
India after he was killed when a private plane carrying him crashed in
western India on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool) |
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Pawar, 66, was the deputy chief minister of India’s western
Maharashtra state. He was traveling to Baramati to campaign in a
local election when the privately-operated aircraft went down.
Two of his staffs and two crew members on board the mid-size
Learjet 45 also died, the directorate general of civil aviation
said in an initial statement.
Pawar was a key figure in state politics and served as the
second highest elected official in Maharashtra as part of Indian
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling coalition in the state. He
wielded considerable influence in the the state's sugar belt and
was known for his ability to mobilize rural voters.
Modi expressed his condolences, calling Pawar a committed public
servant.
“His understanding of administrative matters and passion for
empowering the poor and downtrodden were also noteworthy,” Modi
said on X. “His untimely demise is very shocking and saddening.
Condolences to his family and countless admirers.”
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