"Ajit Pawar had deep understanding of Maharashtra politics": Congress' Atul Londhe

Pawar was killed in a plane crash while travelling from Mumbai to Baramati in the morning.

Speaking to ANI, the Congress Spokesperson praised the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Chief, stating that the veteran politician possessed a deep understanding of Maharashtra politics.

"He was a leader who was everybody's favourite, irrespective of political parties, and had a very deep understanding of Maharashtra politics," Londhe told ANI.

Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh expressed deep grief over the tragic death of the Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and called on the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident.

"It is with deep sorrow that we learned of Ajit Dada's death in a plane crash. Ajit Pawar had a long and distinguished political career, full of experience. This is a huge shock for all of us. But the question is - why did this accident occur?" Singh told reporters here.

"According to preliminary information received, an aircraft from the same company suffered a similar crash in Mumbai three years ago. This incident happened due to low visibility. DGCA should conduct a full investigation into the incident. Who is conducting the maintenance of the aircraft owned by the company which owned the crashed aircraft?" he added.

Ajit Pawar was killed in a plane crash on Wednesday morning. He was headed to Baramati to attend a public rally for the Zilla Parishad elections.

According to DGCA, five people, including the crew, on board the chartered plane flying from Mumbai, Maharashtra, to Baramati died after a crash-landing at 8.45 am this morning. The crash landing of the Mumbai-Baramati charter plane occurred at the runway threshold in Baramati. Pawar was onboard along with 2 more personnel (1 PSO and 1 attendant) and 2 crew members.

The Congress party in charge of Kerala, Deepa Dasmunshi, also extended her condolences, calling the incident deeply saddening and stated that she stands with the grieving family in this time of pain.

"A very sad incident happened today. A private jet crashed, and Deputy CM of Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar, has passed away. It is a very sad thing. My deepest condolences to him, and I stand with the family in pain now," Dasmunshi told ANI. (ANI)