Ajit Pawar plane crash live updates: Maharashtra deputy chief minister's last rites were performed at the Vidya Pratishthan ground in Baramati. A sea of supporters and political leaders, including CM Devendra Fadnavis and deputy CM Eknath Shinde, paid last respects. Ajit Pawar and four others died in a plane crash in Baramati town in Maharashtra on Wednesday morning, leading to serious concerns about the flight operator and the condition of the airstrip.

The NCP leader, 66, was travelling in a mid-size business jet that departed from Mumbai at 8.10 am for Baramati, where he was scheduled to address rallies for the upcoming rural body elections.

Ajit Pawar's funeral today

The final rites of the NCP president took place at the grounds of Vidya Pratishtan, an education institute set up by the Pawar family, with full state honours on Thursday.

Large crowds, including party workers from Baramati and other parts of the state, were present to pay their last respects to the late leader.

Who else was on board the aircraft?

Along with Ajit Pawar, captain Sumit Kapoor, first officer Shambavi Pathak, flight attendant Pinky Mali, and Pawar’s personal security officer Vidhit Jadhav were also killed in the crash.

How did Ajit Pawar die? What led to the crash?

The jet took off at 8.10 am from Mumbai for his home bastion of Baramati. Thirteen minutes later, the Learjet 45 aircraft began its descent but aborted the first landing after the pilot couldn’t see the runway.

After circling back, pilots confirmed a second landing attempt at 8.43am but a minute later, the air traffic control saw flames near the runway as the aircraft veered off course and crashed.

Union civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu initially suggested that the crash occurred during poor visibility. The ministry statement said conditions were calm and visibility at 3,000 metres.

Sharad Pawar's request to not ‘politicise’ death

Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday appealed to people not to turn the death of his nephew, Ajit Pawar, into a political issue.

The senior leader said the crash was an accident and that “politics should not be brought into this”.

Ajit Pawar's legacy

Born on July 22, 1959 to Asha and Anantrao Pawar, Ajit Pawar followed the footsteps of his uncle Sharad Pawar into politics in 1982 when he was elected to the board of a sugar factory.

In 1991, he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Baramati and later vacated the seat for his uncle who then became defence minister in P V Narasimha Rao’s government. He then served as Baramati MLA for eight terms from 1991.

He became the state’s deputy chief minister for a record six times under chief ministers Prithviraj Chavan, Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde. He is survived by his wife, Rajya Sabha member Sunetra Pawar, and two sons, Jay and Parth Pawar.