Baramati plane crash: Unease within the NCP

The NCP top brass ignored the allegations initially, but began taking them seriously as the issue became a talking point

There is growing unease within the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), especially among legislators, over the allegations being levelled by NCP (SP) legislator Rohit Pawar regarding the January 28 plane crash in Baramati that killed then NCP chief and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar.

Ajit Pawar died when the chartered flight he was travelling in crashed in Baramati on January 28, 2026. (HT)

Rohit, Ajit’s nephew, has addressed multiple press conferences in Mumbai and Delhi alleging violation of rules by the company operating the chartered flight, and seeking a thorough probe into the matter. The NCP top brass ignored the allegations initially, but began taking them seriously as the issue became a talking point across the state.

Last week, while Rohit intensified his campaign following release of a preliminary inquiry report by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), an NCP delegation led by deputy chief minister and party chief Sunetra Pawar met chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the incident.

After the meeting with the chief minister, more than 20 NCP MLAs met Sunetra Pawar at her official residence, Devgiri, on Wednesday and expressed their concern over the issue, NCP insiders said. Several MLAs pointed out that while many people had doubts over the reasons behind the plane crash, the NCP itself appeared unconcerned while NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar was seen running from pillar to post seeking justice. The MLAs were told that the party had already sought a CBI probe and if needed, the family would even approach prime minister Narendra Modi. The MLAs were also shown the late deputy CM’s watch that was recovered from the accident site, NCP insiders said. Sunetra Pawar even met each of the MLAs separately and discussed the current situation in the party, they noted.

Tawde’s reward, Shinde’s surprise

It seems senior BJP leader Vinod Tawde, who had a power tussle with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis during the latter’s first tenure as CM, has finally been rewarded for his organisational efforts for the party.

Tawde was denied a ticket in the 2019 assembly polls though he was a sitting MLA from Borivali. He then sought to work for the party organisation, shifted to national politics, and was made party general secretary in charge of Bihar.

Taking note of his efforts in the state where the BJP returned to power with a bigger mandate, Tawde has now been nominated to the Rajya Sabha. The BJP has nominated two other candidates alongside Tawde for the four Rajya Sabha berths from Maharashtra – former Nagpur mayor Maya Ivnate and Dhangar leader Ramrao Wadkute; both are examples of the BJP’s continuation of the tradition of nominating party workers who are not in the race.

However, it was deputy chief minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde who sprang a surprise with his selection of party spokesperson Jyoti Waghmare for the lone Rajya Sabha seat his party got. A college professor, Waghmare grew up in a slum in Solapur and worked at the grassroots when she was with the Congress. She was appointed Sena spokesperson to counter the popular Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Sushma Andhare.

Shinde rejected around half a dozen Rajya Sabha aspirants including former union minister Anandrao Adsul and former MP Rahul Shewale while selecting Waghmare, party insiders said.

No promises made

As India clashed with England for the semi-final of the ongoing T20 cricket world cup at Wankhede stadium, several members of the legislative assembly demanded in the lower house that they should be given tickets for matches that are held in Maharashtra. Presiding officer Dilip Lande asked the government to consider the demand. While the MLAs were seeking the attention of revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule (as Wankhede is built on state government land), Lande opined that Mumbai guardian minister Ashish Shelar should look into the matter. Shelar is a former president of Mumbai Cricket Association which owns Wankhede stadium. The ministers, however, chose not to make any promises.

Projects for CM’s hometown

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis did not forget his hometown Nagpur while presenting the state budget in the legislative assembly last Friday. Once a strong critic of successive governments’ failure to develop the Vidarbha region, he announced a State Disaster Management Institute would be set up at MIHAN, Nagpur. He also said that Maharashtra’s third film city would be developed at Ramtek in Nagpur district, and New Nagpur, already a business and financial hub, would power the economic development of the state’s second capital.