Ajit Pawar passes away: ‘The plane crashed, then exploded’ — eyewitness recalls horror, failed rescue attempts

A devastating plane crash near Baramati airport on Wednesday morning claimed the life of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others, with eyewitnesses describing scenes of repeated explosions, raging flames and helpless locals unable to rescue those on board.

The small charter aircraft, which had departed Mumbai around 8 am, went down during a landing attempt roughly 45 minutes later. Visuals from the site showed thick plumes of smoke and intense fire engulfing the wreckage, underscoring the scale of the tragedy.

Eyewitness recalls explosions and uncontrollable blaze

An eyewitness to the crash said the aircraft appeared unstable as it descended before slamming into the ground and erupting into flames. According to the witness, a series of explosions followed, leaving no chance for immediate rescue.

“This is really painful. When the aircraft descended, it seemed it would crash, and it did crash. It then exploded. There was a massive explosion. After that, we rushed here and saw that the aircraft was on fire. There were four to five explosions in the aircraft again. More people came here, and they tried to pull the people out (of the aircraft). But since this was a huge fire, people could not help. Ajit Pawar was onboard and this is really painful for us. I can't describe it in words,” the eyewitness told news agency ANI.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation later confirmed that all five passengers on board the aircraft died in the crash.

Final journey to Baramati cut short

Pawar was travelling to Baramati to address a public rally linked to the Zilla Parishad elections when the accident occurred. A day earlier, on January 27, he had been in Mumbai attending a meeting of the Maharashtra Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Maharashtra minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule and senior officials were also present at that meeting.

Most Members of Parliament were in New Delhi on Wednesday to attend the opening of the Budget Session of Parliament, when news of the crash broke.

Political leaders express grief and shock

Tributes poured in from across the political spectrum as news of Pawar’s death spread. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant described the loss as deeply painful.

“It is very sad news,” Sawant said, adding that the entire Pawar family was shattered.

“I always did what he said. He was a bold man. He had a big role in the development of the Baramati region. I express my condolences to the entire Pawar family,” he said.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi also spoke emotionally about Pawar’s passing.

“This is very shocking, painful and heart-rending. There have been differences between us, but we have worked together. He was a really committed man who kept to his work. I express my sympathies to Pawar sahab, Supriya ji, Sunetra ji, Parth and Jay. I also express sympathies to lakhs and crores of people in Baramati. Going away like this is very painful.”

A towering political figure in Maharashtra

Ajit Pawar, 66, was the nephew of veteran leader Sharad Pawar and the cousin of Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule. He was the longest-serving Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra in non-consecutive terms, having held the office six times under various governments.

Over his career, he served as deputy chief minister in cabinets led by Prithviraj Chavan, Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde, reflecting his enduring influence in the state’s politics.

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

Investigation underway as state mourns

Authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the crash, including the reported explosions and the intensity of the post-impact fire. For residents of Baramati and the wider state, however, the focus remains on mourning a leader whose final journey ended in tragedy — and on the haunting words of those who witnessed the disaster unfold at close quarters.