A video of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar recounting a tense helicopter ride with Devendra Fadnavis in July 2024 has resurfaced after Pawar's death in a plane crash. Pawar humorously described his fear during the flight due to bad weather, while Fadnavis remained calm.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed grief over the death of Deputy CM Ajit Pawar in a plane crash, declaring a government holiday and state mourning. Other state leaders also mourned Pawar's passing, highlighting his contributions to Maharashtra's development and politics.
NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar has raised concerns about the statement given by VSR Ventures owner V K Singh to the Crime Investigation Department (CID) regarding the plane crash that killed former Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and four others. Pawar questions whether Singh is attempting to blame the pilot for the accident.
Union Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu has requested the Maharashtra government's cooperation in the investigation into the plane crash that killed Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has initiated a formal investigation.
This comes after Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee hinted at foul play behind the plane crash and demanded the Supreme Court's probe into the incident.
"The aircraft was cleared to land on runway 11 at 0843 IST (8.43 am). However, they did not give a readback of the landing clearance (did not respond to ATC). Next, the ATC saw the flames around the threshold of runway 11 at 0844 IST (8.44 am)," the civil aviation ministry statement said.
Pinky Mali was an attendant on the Learjet 46, operated by Delhi-based VSR Ventures, that crash-landed at the Baramati airport
'The entire Pawar family -- Sunetra Vahini, Jay and Parth Pawar (Ajit Pawar's sons), Sharad Pawar, his daughter Supriya Sule -- will sit together and decide how to move forward.'
NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar has questioned whether VSR Ventures owner V K Singh is attempting to blame the pilot for the Learjet crash that killed Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and four others in January. Pawar cites media reports about Singh's purported submission to the CID, raising concerns about the investigation's transparency.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the untimely death of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash, praising his grassroots connection and dedication to serving the people.
After his death, Sharad Pawar and other leaders of his party claimed that merger talks were in advanced stages and Ajit Pawar had finalised February 12 as the date to announce reunification between the rival factions.
Senior NCP leader Narhari Zirwal says the public wants Sunetra Pawar, wife of late Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, to be brought into the Maharashtra state ministry.
Two members of the Pawar family, Sharad Pawar and his grandnephew Parth, are contesting Rajya Sabha seats from Maharashtra, marking a potential first where both serve simultaneously in Parliament.
Nationalist Congress Party considers Sunetra Pawar, wife of the late Ajit Pawar, for the position of NCP legislature leader, emphasizing the importance of family consent in the decision-making process.
The process to merge the Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar and the Nationalist Congress Party may now face a roadblock due to the death of Ajit Pawar, said Sharad Pawar on Saturday.
Newly-appointed Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar has been allocated the portfolios of State Excise Duty, Sports and Youth Affairs and Minorities Development and Aukaf.
Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar Maharashtra unit president Shashikant Shinde on Saturday said his party chief Sharad Pawar and other leaders had no prior knowledge about the decision that Nationalist Congress Party's Sunetra Pawar would take oath as the state deputy chief minister.
Sunetra Pawar, wife of the late Ajit Pawar, has been unanimously elected as the leader of the NCP legislature party in Maharashtra and is set to become the state's first woman Deputy Chief Minister.
'I don't know if she is doing it willingly or not, but she is respecting the sentiments of the party.'
On reports of the BJP opposing the NCP merger, Fadnavis asserted that his party hasn't opposed anyone.
Senior NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil has ruled out the possibility of a merger between the two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party, stating that talks ceased following the death of Ajit Pawar.
'While many politicians speak of development, Dada worked hard for it.' 'He realised that politics wasn't about power or politics -- it was about service to the people.'
'Because of him, we learned how to work for people, how to take responsibility, and how to stand by our decisions.'
A Mumbai court has accepted the closure report submitted by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank (MSCB) scam case, giving a clean chit to Ajit Pawar and other accused.
NCP Maharashtra president Sunil Tatkare reaffirms the party's commitment to the BJP-led NDA, dismissing merger speculations and emphasizing the ideology of the late Ajit Pawar.
NCP MP Sunil Tatkare's remarks came amid the suspense over a merger of the two NCP factions
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others were killed after their aircraft crashed in Baramati on January 28, 2026. Here are 11 other prominent Indians who died in air crashes.
A specialized team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has arrived at the Baramati crash site to investigate the accident that killed Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others. The investigation will focus on the technical factors that led to the crash of the Learjet 45 aircraft during its second landing attempt.
The BJP and Shiv Sena are leading in the early trends of the Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti polls in Maharashtra. Counting began on Monday morning for elections to 12 Zilla Parishads and 125 Panchayat Samitis.
An aviation expert suggests that the Baramati plane crash, which resulted in the death of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others, might have been avoided if the airport runway had been equipped with an instrument landing system (ILS). The expert also emphasized the importance of preserving evidence at the crash site for the ongoing investigation.
A technical snag was detected in a helicopter scheduled to transport Maharashtra Minister Pankaja Munde for campaigning, delaying her journey. The issue was discovered during a routine inspection, leading to the grounding of the helicopter and a DGCA investigation.
An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the fatal air ambulance crash in Jharkhand that claimed seven lives, with authorities examining weather conditions and potential technical issues.
The mortal remains of pilot Shambhavi Pathak, who died in a plane crash near Baramati, Maharashtra, were brought to her Delhi residence. The community mourned the loss of the young and dedicated pilot.
Captain Shambhavi Pathak, a pilot with VSR Ventures, was among those killed in the Learjet 45 crash in Baramati, Maharashtra. Her family in Delhi is devastated by the loss.
The owner of VSR Ventures, whose aircraft carrying Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar crashed, suggests the pilot initiated a 'missed approach' due to poor visibility. The owner vouches for the pilot's experience and the aircraft's maintenance.
Residents of Ahmedabad recall the Air India crash of June 2025 after news of the Baramati plane crash involving Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar. The earlier tragedy, which killed hundreds, remains a painful memory for those who witnessed it and lost loved ones.
It isn't easy for a girl from Gopal Nagar to chase a dream. But Pinky was extremely determined. A force unto herself, she was going to go places. Literally. Till it abruptly ended one morning on the tarmac at Baramati airport.
"52 MLAs of the party have come back to us, one more is in touch with us," Malik told ANI.
The Bharatiya Janata Party in the state demanded an apology from the Uddhav Thackeray-led government over this incident.
Anwar's move came a day after media reports quoted Pawar having told a Marathi news channel that he did not think people had doubts over the prime minister's intentions in the Rafale fighter plane deal.
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