Sharad Pawar dismisses conspiracy claims in Ajit Pawar plane crash

Ajit Pawar, 66, was travelling in a Bombardier Learjet 45 operated by private firm VSR Aviation from Mumbai to Baramati when the aircraft crash-landed and burst into flames near the runway at Baramati airport around 8:48 am.

Witnesses said the plane was barely 100 metres from the runway when it went down.

He was on his way to campaign for the Zilla Panchayat elections. His personal security officer, an assistant and two crew members were also on board, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said. All were killed in the crash.

“There is no conspiracy involved; it is purely an accident. Maharashtra has suffered a huge loss today. A capable leader has left us, and this loss can never be compensated,” Sharad Pawar said in his first comments after the incident.

Ajit Pawar split from his uncle in 2023 to join the BJP, triggering a split in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

However, the two factions had recently come together to contest municipal elections in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.

Visibly distressed, the 85-year-old NCP leader said, “Some incidents have no politics behind them. Everything is not in our hands, and we will have to live with this pain forever.”

Sharad Pawar’s remarks came amid calls from opposition leaders for an independent probe into the crash. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee demanded a Supreme Court-monitored investigation, alleging that other agencies were “compromised”, a demand supported by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. Sharad Pawar dismissed the allegations.

“A stand has been floated from Kolkata suggesting politics behind this incident. There is nothing like that. I request everyone not to bring politics into this tragedy,” he said.

VSR Aviation owner VK Singh said the aircraft was “very well maintained” and denied any technical fault. “There was absolutely no problem with the aircraft as far as we know,” he told reporters.

According to a government statement, the aircraft initially performed a go-around due to poor visibility before being cleared to land. After receiving clearance, the aircraft did not provide a mandatory ‘readback’ to air traffic control and moments later crashed and caught fire near the edge of the runway.

Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said preliminary information indicated poor visibility at the time of landing. Teams from the DGCA and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) have reached the site to conduct a detailed investigation.

Ajit Pawar’s last rites will be held with full state honours.

The longest-serving Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar, held the post six times under governments led by Prithviraj Chavan, Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde.

He is survived by his wife Sunetra Pawar and two sons, Jay and Parth Pawar.