Ajit Pawar's 2024 Tweet on 'Safe Plane Landing' Resurfaces After His Tragic Death

New Delhi: No one knows what the future holds. In 2024, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar had shared a light-hearted post about safe landings and air travel. At that time, he could never have imagined that just two years later, his own life would end in a tragic plane crash. Today, that old tweet has returned on social media, creating a painful sense of irony and leaving people across the state in shock and grief.   

In the tweet, Pawar had written “When we travel by helicopter or plane, if our plane or helicopter lands smoothly, we understand that the pilot is a woman,” Pawar had tweeted. Two years later, that same journey in the skies ended in tragedy.

Deadly Crash Near Baramati

A horrific plane crash in Baramati on Wednesday morning claimed the life of 66-year-old Ajit Pawar. He was on his way to a public demonstration in support of the Zilla Parishad elections. The Learjet 45 hired by VSR, registration as VT-SSK, had taken off from Mumbai and was expected to land in Baramati at approximately 8:45 a.m. 

Shortly before landing, the aircraft reported bad visibility in the region to Air Traffic Control, according to officials. The area was obscured by dense fog, which made it hard for the pilots to see.

Preliminary reports suggest that the plane was unable to align properly with the runway. It kept drifting to the right during the landing approach. While trying to correct its direction, the aircraft crashed near the edge of the airport. Sources also said that the plane may have overrun the runway while attempting to land.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation confirmed that there were no survivors. All five people on board lost their lives. They were:

• Ajit Pawar, Deputy Chief Minister
• Avish Jadhav, his PSO
• Sumit Kapoor, Pilot
• Sambhavi Pathak, Pilot
• Pinki Mali, Flight Assistant 

The Civil Aviation Ministry has asked for a detailed report and directed the DGCA to complete the investigation at the earliest. Officials have said that the exact cause of the crash will be known only after a full technical inquiry.

State Mourns Loss of Veteran Leader

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced a government holiday in Baramati following Pawar’s death. Additionally, a three-day state of mourning has been announced.

Ajit Pawar was one of Maharashtra’s longest serving political leaders. Having held the position six times under several administrations, he was the Deputy Chief Minister with the longest tenure. He worked in the cabinets of Eknath Shinde, Uddhav Thackeray, Devendra Fadnavis, and Prithviraj Chavan.

He was the cousin of Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule and the nephew of seasoned statesman and NCP founder Sharad Pawar. He was a key figure in state politics for many years as the leader of the Nationalist Congress Party.

According to official sources, Ajit Pawar’s last rites will be performed tomorrow at 11:00 am in Baramati.