In Pics| Prominent Indian politicians who died in accidents

Ajit Pawar, NCP chief and Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister, who died in a plane crash in Baramati, joins a long list of politicians who lost their lives in tragic accidents.

Ajit Pawar

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar died in a tragic plane crash near his constituency, Baramati, in Maharashtra on January 28, 2026. Pawar was travelling to Baramati from Mumbai to address public meetings as part of the campaign for the February 5 zilla parishad elections in the state.

Vijay Rupani

Former Chief Minister of Gujarat Vijay Rupani was one of the 241 victims of Air India Flight 171, which crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12, 2025.

Gopinath Munde

Former Union Minister of Rural Development of India, Gopinath Munde, died in a road accident in Delhi in 2014.

YSR Reddy

YS Rajasekhara Reddy's Bell 430 chopper crashed in a forest while heading to the Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh in 2009. It took 27 hours for his body to be located after the helicopter disappeared.

Dorjee Khandu

Dorjee Khandu, the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, and four others were killed on April 30, 2011, when their helicopter went down in West Kameng district, en route from Tawang to Itanagar.

Sanjay Gandhi

Sanjay Gandhi, the younger son of Indira Gandhi, was killed in 1980 when the glider he was flying crashed after departing from Safdarjung Airport in Delhi.

Giani Zail Singh

Giani Zail Singh was killed in a road accident in Ropar district, Punjab, in November 1994.

Rajesh Pilot

Senior Congress leader Rajesh Pilot lost his life in a road accident near Dausa while travelling back to Jaipur.

Madhavrao Scindia

Madhavrao Scindia, a senior Congress leader, died in a Cessna crash in 2001 while flying to Kanpur for a rally.

Om Prakash Jindal

OP Jindal, former Haryana's power minister and a major industrial figure, along with state agriculture minister Surendra Singh, died in 2005 when their helicopter went down near Saharanpur after experiencing a technical issue.

GMC Balayogi

In 2002, GMC Balayogi, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and leader of the Telugu Desam Party, tragically lost his life in a helicopter crash in Andhra Pradesh.