ISLAMABAD: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Anantrao Pawar, 63, was killed when his chartered aircraft crashed near Baramati on Wednesday morning.
Pawar’s death marks the 13th time in the past 25 years that a prominent Indian political figure died in an air crash.
Pawar, a veteran legislator and nephew of NCP founder Sharad Pawar, was a towering figure in Maharashtra politics. Sharad Pawar himself is a former chief minister of the state and served as India’s defence minister in the 1980s. Ajit Pawar’s death has sent shockwaves across political circles in India. Interestingly, none of the political figures who lost their lives in air accidents over the past quarter-century belonged to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with the exception of one former chief minister of Gujarat. Below is a review of high-profile political deaths in air crashes that contextualise the significance of the latest tragedy:
Vijay Rupani: Former chief minister of Gujarat and BJP leader, Rupani died in June 2025 when Air India Flight AI 171 crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad Airport. General Bipin Rawat: India’s first chief of defence staff, along with his wife and 11 others, died in an Mi-17V5 helicopter crash near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu, on December 8, 2021. The circumstances of the crash raised questions and generated extensive investigation.
Dorjee Khandu: Chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Khandu’s helicopter went down near Tawang in April 2011; his body was located after a five-day search.
YS Rajasekhara Reddy: The charismatic chief minister of Andhra Pradesh died in September 2009 when his Bell 430 helicopter crashed in the dense Nallamala forest during a tour of flood-affected areas. Om Prakash Jindal and Surender Singh: Haryana’s power minister and an associate agriculture minister died in a helicopter crash near Saharanpur in March 2005, underscoring the risks faced by leaders who frequently travelled together in private aircraft.
Cyprian Sangma: Meghalaya’s rural development minister and nine others perished in a Pawan Hans helicopter crash near Barapani Lake on September 22, 2004, in weather conditions that hampered visibility en route from Guwahati to Shillong. G.M.C. Balayogi: The Speaker of the Lok Sabha and Telugu Desam Party leader died in March 2002 in a Bell 206 helicopter crash near Kaikalur, Andhra Pradesh, at age 50, highlighting vulnerabilities in air travel outside major urban hubs.
Madhavrao Scindia: Senior Congress leader and union minister perished in a Beechcraft plane crash near Mainpuri, Uttar Pradesh, in September 2001. Sanjay Gandhi: The youngest son of then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and a powerful political figure in his own right, Gandhi died in an aircraft accident near Safdarjung Airport in Delhi in June 1980 at the age of 33, a loss that dramatically altered India’s political trajectory.
Pawar’s death once again underscores the risks faced by India’s political leadership in air travel and has prompted renewed calls for comprehensive reviews of aviation safety protocols for chartered and official flights. Authorities have launched investigations into the Baramati crash, and further details are expected as the inquiry progresses.
