Global & US Headlines
Deputy CM Ajit Pawar Killed in Baramati Plane Crash; Maharashtra Announces Three-Day Mourning
On 28 Jan 2026, six-time Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, 66, and four others died when their Mumbai-to-Baramati Learjet 45 overshot the runway and exploded, leading the state to declare three days of official mourning.
Focusing Facts
- The jet vanished from radar at 08:45 am IST and crashed during landing at Baramati airport, killing all 5 occupants.
- Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered a three-day mourning period and a local holiday in Baramati within hours of the crash.
- Authorities said Pawar’s body was identified primarily by the wristwatch he was wearing due to severe burns.
Context
Indian politics has lost key figures to air accidents before—Congress scion Sanjay Gandhi in 1980, Gopinath Munde in 2014 by road, and Andhra CM Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy in a 2009 helicopter crash—each reshaping regional power structures overnight. Pawar’s death arrives amid a fractious split in the Nationalist Congress Party and just nine days before the 5 Feb zilla-parishad polls, removing the faction’s most effective campaigner. Beyond personal tragedy, the episode underscores two systemic issues: India’s patchy oversight of non-scheduled aviation (the Learjet 45 is over 20 years old and accident probes routinely stall) and the fragility of dynastic, personality-centric politics in large states. Whether the NCP factions reunify or the BJP further consolidates power, the accident may realign Maharashtra’s coalition math in a way legislation or elections could not. On a century scale, such sudden exits illustrate how emerging democracies still hinge on individual leaders rather than resilient institutions; unless safety culture and succession planning improve, the cycle of vacuum-creating mishaps may continue to steer political destiny more than policy debates.
Perspectives
BJP-aligned national media
International Business Times India Edition, mid-day — Pawar is portrayed as a mass leader whose grassroots connect and commitment to Maharashtra’s poor makes his death a grievous national loss. The effusive praise downplays long-running corruption allegations and political rivalries, conveniently framing a onetime ally’s passing as apolitical statesmanship that also flatters the ruling NDA leadership offering condolences.
Business and financial press
Businessline, Economic Times — His demise ends a turbulent career of unfulfilled chief-ministerial ambition, coloured by scandals and political flip-flops. By foregrounding sensational twists and the irrigation scam, these outlets keep readers hooked but risk reducing a complex legacy to a dramatic career obituary, giving less space to tributes or policy achievements.
Opposition-oriented coverage quoting Congress & Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders
Asianet News — Opposition figures call the crash a heartbreaking ‘black day’, laud Pawar’s administrative skills and demand a thorough probe. Grief-stricken statements also serve to display bipartisan civility and subtly question safety oversight under the current government, allowing rivals to score moral points without overt politicking.