Sharad Pawar’s First Reaction on Nephew Ajit Pawar’s Death in Plane Crash: ‘No Conspiracy Involved, It Was Purely an Accident’

Ajit Pawar Plane Crash News: Nationalist Congress Party – Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP- SP) chief Sharad Pawar has urged political parties not to politicise the death of his nephew Ajit Pawar, describing the incident as a “pure accident.” This was Pawar’s first public reaction since the tragic plane crash that killed Ajit Pawar. Speaking to the media, he said, “This is a huge loss for Maharashtra. Maharashtra has lost a dynamic and decisive leader. Some people are saying there is some politics behind this, but it was an accident, and there is no politics involved. Politics should not be brought into this.”

'हा निव्वळ अपघात, राजकारण करू नये'- शरद पवार pic.twitter.com/QEIjCZVOgo

— Lokmat (@lokmat) January 28, 2026

His statement came amid calls for a Supreme Court-monitored investigation by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who questioned the safety and security of political leaders and said only the Supreme Court could be trusted for a fair probe.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others were killed Wednesday morning when the small aircraft carrying them crashed near Baramati in Pune district. The accident occurred around 9 a.m., shortly after the plane took off from Mumbai. Pawar was travelling to attend a public meeting amid the ongoing Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections. All five people on board — including Pawar, two security personnel, and two crew members — died in the crash.

Maharashtra CM Fadnavis announced a state holiday and three days of mourning across the state. During this period, the national flag will be flown at half-mast at all official buildings, and state government offices will remain closed on Wednesday. No government entertainment programmes will be held.

Addressing reporters, Fadnavis described Pawar’s death as a personal loss. “Ajit Dada was a hardworking leader and did not shake in any circumstances. It is a difficult day for Maharashtra. He had major contributions to the state’s development. His demise is shocking, and for me, it is a personal loss; a friend has left me,” he said.

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader’s last rites will be performed with full state honours. According to Kiran, trustee of Vidya Pratishthan, Pawar’s mortal remains will be kept at Vidya Pratishthan ground for the public to pay their respects on Wednesday, with the cremation scheduled for 11 a.m. on Thursday.

Ajit Pawar, the longest-serving deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, held the post six times under different governments, including those led by Prithviraj Chavan, Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray, and Eknath Shinde.

Preliminary reports indicated that the Bombardier Learjet 45 in which Ajit Pawar was travelling was airworthy, had no technical issues, and was operated by pilots with a combined experience of 15,000 flying hours.