Ajit Pawar Dies In Plane Crash: 9 Other Indian Leaders Who Lost Lives In Aviation Tragedies

[Editor's note: For the latest updates on the plane crash, follow our live blog.]

Tragedy struck Indian politics after Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash near Baramati in Pune district in the early hours of January 28.

The Learjet 45, carrying Pawar and five others, went down while attempting to land. There were no survivors.

The crash adds to a long list of aviation accidents in India involving prominent political leaders and public figures. Below is a look at other notable figures lost in similar tragedies:

1. Vijay Rupani (2025)
Former Gujarat Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Vijay Rupani died on June 12, 2025, in one of India's deadliest aviation disasters.

He was aboard Air India flight AI-171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner bound for London, which crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad, killing 241 people.

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2. General Bipin Rawat (2021)
India's first Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat, along with his wife and 12 others, died in a Mi-17V5 helicopter crash near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu on December 8, 2021. Investigators cited difficult weather conditions as a contributing factor.

3. Dorjee Khandu (2011)
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu was killed when a Pawan Hans helicopter went missing during a flight to Tawang on April 30, 2011. The wreckage was found days later near the China border. Poor visibility and challenging terrain were blamed.

4. YS Rajasekhara Reddy (2009)
Popularly known as YSR, the Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh died on September 2, 2009, when his helicopter crashed in the Nallamala forests during heavy rain. His death led to widespread mourning and major political upheaval in the state.

5. OP Jindal and Surender Singh (2005)
Haryana Power Minister OP Jindal and Agriculture Minister Surender Singh were killed on March 31, 2005, in a helicopter crash near Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh. Reports pointed to technical malfunction and low visibility.

6. GMC Balayogi (2002)
Lok Sabha Speaker GMC Balayogi died on March 3, 2002, when his helicopter crashed in Andhra Pradesh's Krishna district while returning from a religious programme. Bad weather was cited as a factor.

7. Madhavrao Scindia (2001)
Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Madhavrao Scindia was killed on September 30, 2001, when his aircraft crashed near Mainpuri in Uttar Pradesh while travelling to a political rally. Eight people died in the accident.

8. Sanjay Gandhi (1980)
Sanjay Gandhi, son of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, died on June 23, 1980, after his aircraft crashed near Safdarjung Airport in Delhi during an aerobatics flight. Pilot error was widely believed to be the cause.

9. Subhas Chandra Bose (1945)
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's reported death in a plane crash in Taiwan in August 1945 remains disputed, though official accounts maintain he died from injuries sustained in the accident. The mystery continues to fuel speculation decades later.

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