Ajit Pawar dies in plane crash: When Maharashtra Deputy CM chanted Lord Pandurang names during harrowing mid-air scare in Maoist-hit Gadchiroli

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar died in the plane crash on Wednesday morning. Pawar, 66, was headed to Baramati to attend a public rally for the Zilla Parishad Elections when the chartered plane carrying the politician and four others crashed. Amid the news of Ajit Pawar's plane crash, an incident has resurfaced when the late NCP chief had narrated a frightening mid-air experience during a flight to Gadchiroli in July 2024. This anecdote has resurfaced poignantly following his death in a plane crash in Pune's Baramati district.

"It was Ashadhi Ekadashi and I kept chanting the name of Lord Pandurang in the tense moments," Ajit Pawar recalled. He was travelling from Nagpur to Maoist-hit Gadchiroli on July 17, 2024, along with then deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and industries minister Uday Samant for the foundation laying ceremony of Surjagarh Ispat. The journey took place amidst heavy rain, dense fog and dark cloud cover, resulting in near-zero visibility, reports Times of India's Nikhil Bhute.

Ajit Pawar recalled the harrowing mid-air experience and also recounted how Devendra Fadnavis remained calm, reassuring him of his safety. After landing in Gadchiroli, Ajit Pawar addressed a public gathering where he described how the aircraft wobbled in the clouds with almost zero-visibility, admitting that the experience had been deeply unsettling.


"When we started from Nagpur, everything was fine. But later, when the helicopter went into the clouds, I looked around, we couldn't see the ground or trees. We were flying blindly," Pawar had said. He recalled feeling a knot in his stomach as fear set in.

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Pawar recalled how Devendra Fadnavis was calm throughout

In contrast, Ajit Pawar noted that Fadnavis, who was seated beside him, remained calm and unruffled, continuing to chat casually. When Pawar voiced his concern, Fadnavis reassured him, saying he had faced similar mid-air scares several times in the past and had always come through them safely.

"Don't worry at all. I have faced six such situations. Whenever I am in a helicopter or plane, nothing happens to me. So, nothing will happen to you either," Pawar quoted Fadnavis as saying, a remark that drew laughter from the crowd.

"I thought to myself, 'My goodness, what is he saying? I had a sinking feeling and was constantly chanting 'Panduranga, Panduranga'. And here was this ‘maharaj' (Fadnavis) giving me advice," Ajit Pawar had said, adding "It's the good deeds of his (Fadnavis) elders that we reached here (safely). Those good deeds helped us," he had said. "But friends, honestly, all of us were quite shaken. Uday Samant was sitting to my right, and he said, 'Dada, Dada, look… The ground is finally visible'. Jokes apart, everyone must take care," Pawar had said.

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Ajit Pawar dies in tragic plane crash

Ajit Pawar and four other persons were killed after an aircraft carrying them crashed in Pune district on Wednesday morning. The incident occurred when the plane carrying Pawar and others landed near Baramati. The last rites of Ajit Pawar will be held with full state honours on Thursday at Baramati in Pune district. Pawar and four other persons on board the aircraft were killed after the plane crashed barely 200 metres from the edge of a tabletop runway at Baramati.

On Thursday morning, the mortal remains of Ajit Pawar were taken from the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Hospital in Baramati, where they were kept overnight, to his Katewadi village near Baramati. The funeral procession will begin at 9 am. Police have registered an accidental death report (ADR) case in connection with the plane crash, an official told PTI. The AAIB, which functions under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, has already taken over the probe into the crash.

(With PTI inputs)