India has lost many well-known public figures from Politics in terrible aviation mishaps throughout the years. These incidents serve as a reminder of the frailty of life. Let’s take a look at some politicians who died in plane or helicopter crashes over the years including the mishap which claimed Ajit Pawar’s life today in Baramati.
Ajit Pawar (2026)
Ajit Pawar died on January 28, 2026, when the Learjet 45XR private aircraft he was travelling in crashed while attempting to land at Baramati Airport. The accident also killed other occupants, including crew members and aides. The crash shocked the state and triggered widespread mourning across Maharashtra’s political and public spheres.
Read here: Baramati Plane Crash: Maha Dy CM Ajit Pawar among five dead
Sanjay Gandhi (1980)
Sanjay Gandhi, an influential Indian politician and the younger son of Indira Gandhi, died on June 23, 1980, at age 33. He was killed instantly when the aerobatic aircraft he was piloting crashed near Safdarjung Airport in New Delhi. His death marked a significant shift in the Congress party, eventually leading his elder brother, Rajiv Gandhi, into politics.
Madhavrao Scindia (2001)
Senior Congress leader and Union Minister Madhav Rao Scindia died in a tragic plane crash on September 30, 2001, at the age of 56, when his aircraft crashed and caught fire near Mainpuri, Uttar Pradesh, while he was en route to a political rally in Kanpur, ending his promising political career.
G.M.C. Balayogi (2002)
G.M.C. Balayogi, the 12th Speaker of the Lok Sabha, died on March 3, 2002, in a helicopter crash in Kaikalur, Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh.
The Bell 206 helicopter hit coconut trees in bad weather while returning from Bhimavaram, killing him, his security officer, and the pilot. He was 50 years old when he died in a helicopter crash in Andhra Pradesh while on political duties
Om Prakash Jindal (2005)
Om Prakash Jindal, founder of the Jindal Steel and Power conglomerate, died at age 74 on March 31, 2005, in a helicopter crash. The accident occurred near Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, while travelling from Chandigarh to Delhi. The crash also claimed the life of the pilot, Colonel T.S. Chauhan.
Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy (2009)
YS Rajasekhara Reddy, known as YSR, was the Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh when he passed away in a helicopter crash on September 2, 2009.
The Bell 430 helicopter went missing while flying from Hyderabad to the Chittoor district for a political tour. After an extensive search operation, the wreckage of the chopper was found in the Nallamala forest region.
Investigations revealed that the helicopter had flown into severe weather conditions, including heavy rain and low visibility, leading to a controlled flight into terrain. The crash killed all five people on board.
Dorjee Khandu (2011)
Five days after the helicopter that he was using went missing, Arunachal Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu was found dead in Luguthang, near the China border. A government official and a relative of Mr Khandu have identified his body.
The four other people on board with him – the two pilots, Captain JS Babbar and Captain T S Mamik, the Chief Minister’s security officer Yeshi Choddak and Yeshi Lhamu, sister of a Tawang MLA – also died.
Vijay Rupani (2025)
Former Chief Minister of Gujarat, Vijay Rupani, passed away in a major plane crash on June 12, 2025. He was among the passengers aboard Air India Flight AI-171, which crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad Airport while heading to London.
The aircraft carried over 240 people. DNA matching confirmed Rupani’s remains, and the state observed a day of mourning with a state funeral in his hometown of Rajkot.