Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party chief Ajit Pawar died in a tragic plane crash on Wednesday, January 28, sending shockwaves across Maharashtra and the country. The sudden loss of one of the state’s most powerful and enduring political figures has left supporters, rivals, and citizens stunned.
The small aircraft carrying Pawar reportedly crashed while attempting to land in Baramati, his political stronghold. He was scheduled to address a rally there later in the day. Details surrounding the crash are still emerging, as authorities investigate the cause of the accident.
Ajit Pawar’s death has once again drawn attention to a grim pattern in Indian political history the loss of prominent leaders in aviation accidents. Over the decades, several senior political figures have lost their lives in plane or helicopter crashes while on official or political duties.
Sanjay Gandhi
One of the most well-known cases is that of Sanjay Gandhi, Congress leader and son of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He died on June 23, 1980, when his Pitts S-2A aircraft crashed near Safdarjung Airport in Delhi while performing aerobatic manoeuvres during a test flight.
O.P. Jinadal & Surendra Singh
Yet another tragic incident, O. P. Jindal, Haryana Power Minister and noted industrialist, along with Surender Singh, the state’s Agriculture Minister, were killed in a helicopter crash near Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh on March 31, 2005.
Madhavrao Scindia
Senior Congress leader Madhavrao Scindia, former Union Minister for Civil Aviation and Railways and MP from Guna, died on September 30, 2001, when a private Cessna King Air C90 aircraft crashed near Mainpuri, Uttar Pradesh. The plane was en route to a political rally in Kanpur. All eight people on board were killed, with bad weather believed to have played a role.
Mohan Kumaramangalam
Union Minister for Steel and Mines, died in the Indian Airlines Boeing 737 crash (Flight 440) near Palam Airport in Delhi on May 31, 1973. The crash also claimed the lives of several other passengers, including former Punjab Chief Minister Gurnam Singh.
Cyprian Sangma
Another tragic loss was Meghalaya’s Rural Development Minister, who died in a Pawan Hans helicopter crash near Barapani Lake on September 22, 2004, while travelling from Guwahati to Shillong. Nine others were also killed in the accident.
