Veteran Indian politician Ajit Pawar dies in plane crash

India's prime minister has led tributes to Ajit Pawar, deputy chief minister of Maharashtra state, who has been killed in a plane crash in the west of the country.

Pawar and four others died after the chartered plane they were travelling in crashed at the airport in Baramati - Pawar's constituency - on Wednesday morning.

India's civil aviation minister said visibility was poor at the airport at the time of the crash. The aviation regulator has launched an investigation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Pawar's death "shocking and saddening" and praised his service to the people of Maharashtra. His funeral will be held on Thursday morning.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis described his death as "an immeasurable loss" and announced three days of mourning in the state.

Pawar was one of Maharashtra's most influential leaders, governing in coalition with India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The 66-year-old was affectionately called 'dada', a term for elder brother in the Marathi language, by party workers and the public.

Sanjay Raut, from the state's opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) party, said Pawar's death was a "dark day".

"Without Dada, the political landscape of Maharashtra is incomplete. He had an open-hearted personality and every party worker admired him," he said.

Federal Home Minister Amit Shah, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and others have also paid tribute.

Ajit Pawar was a towering figure in Maharashtra's politics.

For decades, he was a key member of the Nationalist Congress Party founded by his uncle, veteran politician Sharad Pawar.

In his early years in politics, he focused on the grassroots and built networks with workers' unions and local co-operative banks.

He was elected to the Maharashtra legislative assembly from Baramati for the first time in 1991 and would be re-elected from the same constituency several times, reflecting his strong connection with voters.

Pawar also served as the state's deputy chief minister many times and headed key ministries within different governments, including agriculture and finance.

But his last couple of years in politics were marked by turbulence and rebellion as he sought to move away from the shadow of his uncle and pursue his own political ambitions.

In 2019, he made a dramatic move by breaking away from the NCP to join the state's ruling BJP government as the deputy chief minister. But lacking support from the NCP's cadre, the alliance collapsed and Pawar returned to his party within days.

He was made deputy chief minister again when the NCP, Congress and Shiv Sena joined hands to form the government and played a key role in the coalition for the next three years.

But tensions within the NCP continued to rise and in 2023, Pawar once again split from the party, this time with a large group of legislators, causing the NCP-Congress-Shiv Sena alliance to collapse. India's Election Commission would later recognise his faction as the official NCP.

Pawar then helped form the state's new tri-party coalition government led by the BJP.

He continued to serve as deputy chief minister but shared the post with another politician.

In recent months, there were reports about a possible reconciliation between uncle and nephew, but neither of them officially confirmed this.

Pawar was reportedly travelling to Baramati to address public meetings related to upcoming local elections when his plane crashed.

India's aviation regulator has said that the aircraft he was travelling on was a Bombardier Learjet 45, which is a small business jet commonly used for charter flights and VIP travel in India.

Pawar was accompanied by two staff members and two crew members who also died in the crash.

"The aircraft was cleared for landing in Baramati on Wednesday morning after multiple attempts but, having finally received landing clearance, it did not give any "read-back" or response to the Air Traffic Control and moments later burst into flames on the edge of the runway", the federal aviation ministry said in a statement.

How will Pawar's death affect Maharashtra's politics?

Pawar's death will leave a vacuum in his party and also in Maharashtra's political landscape.

He enjoyed huge support from his party members and was also loved by the public.

Pawar was regarded as a shrewd administrator and skilled orator, and his witty remarks and fiery speeches made headlines and landed him in controversies many times.

Over his decades-long career, he was accused of corruption, but he always denied the allegations against him.

In the past decade or so, he had chartered a new trajectory for the NCP by embarking on surprising political alliances and managing to stay in power despite it taking a toll on his family.

It's unclear who, or if anyone at all, will be able to fill Pawar's shoes in the NCP.

Pawar's death will also have ramifications for the ruling alliance in Maharashtra as his party is left without its strongest leader.

While the BJP-led ruling coalition has the numbers to run the government even without all of Ajit Pawar's lawmakers, any defection could lead to even more turbulence in Maharashtra's political landscape.