Bhubaneswar, January 28: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed grief over the death of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a charter plane crash, describing his passing as extremely heartbreaking and soul-stirring.
In a post on ‘X’, the Chief Minister described Pawar as a dynamic politician and a dedicated public servant.
"The news of the untimely demise of Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister Shri Ajit Pawar ji in an airplane accident is extremely heartbreaking and soul-stirring. Shri Pawar ji was a dynamic politician and a dedicated public servant. In this hour of profound grief, I express my condolences to the bereaved family, colleagues, and the people of Maharashtra," wrote the Chief Minister.
"I pray to Mahaprabhu Shree Jagannath ji that He grant the departed soul a place at His divine feet and bestow strength upon the grieving family to bear this sorrow. Om Shanti." wrote CM Majhi.
Pawar, who also happened to be the Nationalist Congress Party chief, and his co-passengers died when the chartered aircraft they were travelling in crashed near the landing runway of the Baramati airport early this Morning. Visuals from the site showed the plane engulfed in flames, with smoke billowing.
Officials said the aircraft lost control, went down near the airport, and caught fire on impact.
Pawar and four others, including a pilot and a crew member, were killed after the small aircraft crashed while attempting to land near Baramati airport in Pune district. The aircraft, owned and operated by VSR Ventures, had taken off from Mumbai around 8 AM and crashed approximately 45 minutes later during its landing attempt.
